To someone somewhere you look like you have it all. Your website makes their mouth water. Your pictures on Facebook make them yearn for adventure in their life. Seeing you makes them crave more.

Feeling jealous is part of being human but what we do with this emotion is a choice. (Click to tweet)

There are plenty of religions and spiritual practices that would have us believe that to want something another has is wrong. I’d like to suggest otherwise.

I’d like to suggest that noticing the good that someone else has got going on is a reminder of what you desire. It’s a clue as to where to point your ship as you steer your life. It’s a sign that you’re a living, breathing, emotive human being.

When you find yourself envying another, remember:

• Someone, somewhere, wants what you have too. Take a moment to be grateful for how amazing your life is right now. Notice specific things that you appreciate and breath them in to your grateful body.

• Embrace your envy. It’s great information that will help you make decisions to move you towards more of what you want in life and to steer clear of what you don’t.

• You always have a choice as to which kind of jealous you’re going to be: the bitter kind who resents someone else for what they have, or the trusting kind who celebrates the success of another as an affirmation that if they can do it, so can you.

When you think the grass is greener at your girlfriends house or in your competitor’s business, get out your hose and water your own grass.

Channel your desire for what someone else has into practical actions that will get you what you want. When used this way, envy can be used for good instead of evil.

And remember, as my dear friend Danielle LaPorte reminds us, most of the time we have goal setting all backwards. We make our Bucket List or our 5-year plan and fill it with accomplishments, things we want to buy, people we want to meet, babies we want to have, and trips we want to take. But the only reason we want any of these things is because we think that having them is going to make us feel a certain way. It’s the same with envy. We’re actually craving a feeling that we think the person we’re jealous of is having.

Next week Danielle launches The Desire Map. It’s a guide to determining the way you truly want to feel so you can use that as your compass to craft your life. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the program and, in a word, it’s genius. It will revolutionize how you make choices and help you think in a new way about your life that will make things easier.

Danielle is hosting a 3-day launch event for her revolutionary program that starts next Wednesday, December 5th. Pop on over to her site to get on the invite list. It’s a party that you won’t want to miss.

Whether you choose to locate your true desires using Danielle’s process or not, remember that your envy is simply a beautiful reminder of what you truly want. Don’t try and ignore it or it will seep into your cells and recycle into resentment. Or worse, numbness.

Don’t use it as fuel for your woe-is-me-fire.Instead, remember that your envy is a guiding light. Use it that way and it will become a trusted friend instead of a feared enemy.

Don’t forget to get on Danielle’s invite list for The Desire Map launch event happening next week (it’s all virtual – no travel necessary).

In the comments below, let me know what you think of jealousy and envy. How do they make you feel? Do you have a story of channeling these seemingly negative emotions into positive action? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Believer it or not, several people responded. I was actually quite shocked by the number of people who were up for taking a spontaneous road trip around Thanksgiving. One response struck me the most. Here’s what it said:

I just ‘liked’ you on facebook and saw that you’re looking for someone to get your car from Phoenix to Long Island. Did you find someone yet? I live in Maine and have been thinking of some kind of get away for the end of November. I may be up for it if the need is still there….

I know you can appreciate synchronicity so I wanted to share this with you. I’m writing a book about a year in my life when I traveled cross country. I’ve been slowly retracing my journey and this drive would give me the opportunity to re-drive a portion of that (I went from CA to NH), which I’ve been hoping to do within the next year.

I got full body chills reading Alissa Pashko’s email. I knew she was my girl. We had a brief phone chat to make sure neither of us was crazy and to iron out details. She booked a one-way ticket to Phoenix for Thanksgiving day, picked Zoe up from my aunt and uncles house, and went on her way.

Alissa didn’t ask me for money and she didn’t know me from Adam. She trusted me. And I trusted her to arrive back in Portland, ME a few days after Thanksgiving with her and the car in one piece. And she did. Her generosity and the generosity of the universe for connecting the two of us at the perfect moment still floors me now, a year later.

I shot an episode of Glimpse TV with Alissa, intending to share the magic of our paths crossing. I wanted to post it as a way of thanking her and also as a reminder to us all that the world is full of inherently good people. I also wanted to share the miracle of asking for someone to drive my car across the country for me and finding someone who was looking for exactly that sort of opportunity.

Sadly, when I went to edit our episode today I found that the file was lost. So instead, I’m posting Alissa and my story here today. I’m saying thank you to her a year after her generous deed.

May this post be a reminder to all of us:

It’s never too late to say thank you. (Click to tweet.)

The other day I sent over twenty thank you notes for gifts I’d received in June. Would it have been better etiquette to send them right away? You bet your bippy. But I didn’t. So, instead, I sent them this week, six months later.

Would it have been ideal to post my Glimpse TV episode with Alissa last November when the file was in tact? Probably. But instead I’m telling the story today. And I guarantee that at least one person reading this needed to hear the story today, not last year.

You can spend your time beating yourself up for not sending that wedding gift, for not writing that note, for not bringing a present to your hostess, or for not emailing your heartfelt appreciation in a timely manner.

Or you can spend your time saying thank you. There’s no such thing as a thank you coming too late. To the degree that all time is happening right now, (which I believe on some level it is) this moment is the perfect time to say thank you.

In honor of Thanksgiving in the US this week (even if you don’t live here) say thank you to someone. Do it on pretty stationary, do it in an email, do it via your blog, or do it silently to yourself. Do it even if it’s long overdue. You never know, your timing might end up being perfect for the recipient of your thank you. Tell me who you’re going to thank and how in the comments below.

And please know that I’m thankful to each and every one of you. Some of you I know, some I don’t, but I appreciate you all nonetheless. You bring a lot of goodness to my life whether you know it or not. Thank you.

“The universe loved me enough not to give me what I wanted so I could find out what I really wanted.” ~Agapi Stassinopoulos

The first time I remember becoming aware of Agapi Stassinopolous was when I saw a picture of her falling backwards onto a couch wearing a red dress in sheer bliss on her Facebook profile. I knew nothing about this woman, but I knew I wanted to know her.

And of course, as luck would have it, I found out that I would be speaking along with her and an abundant handful of other impressively inspirational folks at the Hay House Ignite conference coming up in March in San Jose (and again in November in New York City.)

I could go on and on about how warm, loving, genuine, hilarious, and contagiously joyful Agapi is (which you’ll see for yourself when you watch our interview below.) Since you’ll get a taste of it yourself, though, I’ll stick to a few juicy bullets on Agapi as an appetizer. Agapi is:

• The author of Unbinding the Heart: A Dose of Greek Wisdom, Generosity, and Unconditional Love, just published by Hay House this year
• A regular contributor to The Huffington Post
• Not only Greek herself, but also an expert on the Greek Gods and Goddesses and how we can use them to enhance our daily lives
• Very close with her sister, Arianna Huffington
• A trained actress (she trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London)
• Beautiful, inside and out

My dear friend, and previous Glimpse TV guest, Rochelle Schieck introduced Agapi and me and I was thrilled to have the chance to chat with her for Glimpse TV this past weekend. I walked in the door of her apartment and she immediately offered me lunch (so sweet!) and our conversation ran the gamut from love to spirituality to generosity to money to fame.

Tune in for this special Valentine’s Day episode of Glimpse TV to learn how to unbind your heart, a secret technique that Agapi uses to feel more free (she very rarely shares this with the public!), how acting in a bus changed Agapi’s life, and more. Then check out the links below to get a copy of Agapi’s book, connect with her on Facebook, and attend one of the many amazing events she has coming up to promote her book. I may see you at one or two of them!

Tweetables from this episode – simply click to share the love!

“We don’t have to wait for anyone to come and give us permission to have our gift.” ~ @agapisays w/ @katenorthrup on #GlimpseTV http://tinyurl.com/753rgw2

“Life is right now.” ~ @katenorthrup w/ @agapisays on #GlimpseTV http://katenorthrup.maryweise.com/?p=1620

“Don’t ever rush to decide on something.” ~ @agapisays w/ @katenorthrup on #GlimpseTV http://katenorthrup.maryweise.com/?p=1620

“I just give myself permission to trust.” ~ @agapisays w/ @katenorthrup on #GlimpseTV http://katenorthrup.maryweise.com/?p=1620

“Being still and calm is a great gift to ourselves and others.” ~ @agapisays w/ @katenorthrup on #GlimpseTV http://katenorthrup.maryweise.com/?p=1620

More Agapi:

Click here to buy Agapi’s new book, Unbinding the Heart

Click here to connect with Agapi on Facebook

Click here to connect with Agapi on Twitter

Click here to visit Agapi’s website and get your free guided meditation

Click here to RSVP for Agapi’s event with Deepak Chopra and Arianna Huffington in NYC on Wednesday, Feb 15th

Click here to RSVP for Agapi’s teleseminar with Hay House on February 22nd

 More thoughts or tips on opening your heart? Leave a comment and let us know what you’re thinking and feeling!

And I’m making stock. (Yes, I have been cooking non-stop since Mike and I settled into our new home for the next five months. My inner Susie Homemaker has come out in full force. I’m just as surprised as Mike is.)

Part of my taking stock has involved going through all of my “stuff”, digital, physical, and mental, and deciding what to do with it. More on this in a future post when I tell you why I’m obsessed with Getting Things Done by David Allen. In my process of diving into my notes and bits (it’s amazing how much you can accumulate while living in a car) I found a note I’d written to myself sometime this year entitled, “Here’s what I know.” I don’t have a clue when I wrote it, but I know that when I read it it made me feel good.

Here’s hoping it makes you feel good too.

Here’s what I know…

• Doing something for the money never ends up being worth it.
• If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no.
• You are valuable because you exist. Period. (Or, full stop if you’re British.)
• You are enough. You always have been. You always will be.
• Your place of greatest ease and joy will also be your place of greatest service.
• It’s okay to sleep for ten hours or more a night from time to time. In fact, it’s critical.
• No accomplishment or moment of recognition will ever replace feeling loved, by yourself or anyone else.
• It’s not going to turn out the way you thought. It will be better.
• You know. You always know.
• The fact that it feels good is reason enough to move every day. The fact that it will tone your ass and make your waist smaller are mere side effects.
• Organizing your life around what feels good is the single wisest choice you can make.
• There is always going to be a small part of you that wants to please your mother, even if you’re not conscious of it, and that’s okay.
• Saying yes to someone simply because you don’t want to disappoint them is not only unfair to you, it’s unfair to them.
• Sleep, water, movement, greens, and a good cry cure almost anything.
• Anything worth taking seriously is worth making fun of. (Thanks Mom)
• Paying attention to your money is a profound act of self-love.
• It turns out that life is happening right now.
• Loving yourself more is the best place to start to solve any problem.
• You can’t judge and have an open heart at the same time.
• Nothing is random. Everything happens for a reason.
• Your body is wise beyond what you could possibly imagine. Listen to her. She will lead you home every time.
• Home is not a place.

Your turn!

What do you know?

What can you count on no matter what?

Tell me and remind yourself. Leave a comment.

Seriously, though, I think my mom is my biggest fan and I’m pretty sure I’m hers.

Our relationship isn’t perfect, but as far as mothers and daughters go I think we’ve got it pretty good. She’s paved the way for my sister and me, not to mention millions of other women, to be more free. Not only do I have my mom to thank for giving me life,  I also have her to thank for putting me on the path to financial freedom early on when she first handed me Robert Kiyosaki’s book Rich Dad, Poor Dad(If you haven’t done so already, buy this book and read it. Life. Changer.) So if it weren’t for her in more ways than one, The Freedom Tour wouldn’t ever have existed.

Here’s my favorite thing to do with my mom: LAUGH! Laugh so hard that we can’t breathe. Laugh so hard that we pee our pants. Laugh so hard that our faces hurt. Laugh so hard that we fall down.

Watch the video below if you want to laugh your face off with us. If you don’t giggle like crazy at the story we tell together I think you should double check to see if you have a pulse. Tune in to this very special episode of Glimpse TV to find out:

• how to take an incredible picture with a real smile every time,
• what my mom means when she says she was “born funny”,
• how to break the mother-daughter chain of pain,
• how family members keep one another stuck and how to get yourself unstuck,
• the scientific reason why we are so desperate to please our mothers,
• and, of course, hysterical laughter!

For more of my mom, aka Dr. Christiane Northrup:

www.drnorthrup.com

Facebook

Twitter

Her books: Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom; Mother-Daughter Wisdom, and The Wisdom of Menopause (newly updated and revised!)

Spread the love and tweet about this episode of Glimpse TV:

I think as we get older we get funnier.~@coachoncall to @drchrisnorthrup via @katenorthrup #glimpsetv http://bit.ly/sbsGB2

If it’s worth taking seriously, it’s worth making fun of. @drchrisnorthrup to @katenorthrup #glimpsetv http://bit.ly/sbsGB2

@DrChrisNorthrup’s fail-proof tip for looking good in every picture you take: #glimpsetv w/ @katenorthrup http://bit.ly/sbsGB2

Scientific reason we want 2 please our mothers + what 2 do about it: #glimpsetv w/ @DrChrisNorthrup and @katenorthrup http://bit.ly/sbsGB2

Something happened to me this year and I got unscared. ~@DrChrisNorthrup to @katenorthrup #glimpsetv http://bit.ly/sbsGB2

Fear is excitement w/o the breath. ~Robert Heller via @katenorthrup to @DrChrisNorthrup #glimpsetv http://bit.ly/sbsGB2

What in your life are you taking seriously that you might try making fun of after hearing from my mom? When do you feel most free? Other thoughts and comments welcome. Leave them below!