I’ve always believed that in order to be successful, you must focus less on others and more on yourself. A person learns to perform at their best through challenging themselves and reflecting back on their weaknesses. That is why I think ‘envy’ has no place in success.

To be envious of someone else and yearn for what they have, you are doing yourself a great disservice. You are placing yourself in completely different circumstances, wondering what COULD be when the focus should be on HOW you can get there.

In the past, I’ve formed many different friendships, only to have them dissipate because of envy. The people involved were too proud to admit that my happiness made them far from happy, that they wanted everything that I had. And by letting the envy get to them, they became in less control of their futures.

For me, I find myself happy for those who are successful, regardless of whether they are a part of my life or not. I would much rather be happy for them than to waste my energy – angry and resentful. Life is too short for that.

But if you ever do compare yourself to others, let the comparison be to help challenge you. If you see someone with a life that you aspire to have, strive to have it. Let it set your goals for success. And instead of criticising them for being successful, congratulate them on their achievements.

Because in the end, we are all living the same life, with the same aspirations. And it is through challenging ourselves and recognising our own accomplishments, we will ultimately achieve success.

Thuy Le (formerly known as Thuy Yau) is a freelance writer and Youth Work graduate living in Perth, Australia. She loves to share her own personal experiences about overcoming adversity, as she believes that human beings are more capable than they realise. She writes to make a positive difference in the world and to inspire others to learn from themselves and their own experiences. Her writing has been discussed on radio, won writing contests, appeared on The Huffington Post UK and major Australian sites such as news.com.au, SMH, Kidspot and Essential Kids. She has just completed her first book – a memoir - and is on the search for a publisher.