Remember these words: “Nobody deserves it more.”
These four words will help you be a better friend.
Let me explain.
Better yet I’ll let the late, great
Dr. David Viscott explain.
From Dr. Viscott’s “Finding Your Strength in Difficult Times” . . .
We all wish our friends well,
but not that well!
Don’t be put off by this.
You’re only human.
You want your friends to succeed,
but when they do and
you are not sure of yourself,
you fear being shown up.
When you feel down about yourself,
it’s easier to tolerate hearing
about a friend’s misfortunes
than his or her successes.
Because your friends
are closest to being like you,
their success makes you question yourself.
“Why not me?” you ask.
We all feel this way.
Nothing alienates people quite like success.
When people become successful,
they discover a sad and unexpected truth:
It is lonely at the top.
Your friends need to celebrate
their success without feeling
that they are intimidating you
and to share their failures
without your taking
secret satisfaction from them.
Allow your friends to confide
their success in you
without becoming envious of it
or asking to participate in it.
Just say, “No one deserved it more.”
You’ll probably be right.
You’ll certainly be a friend.
