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Is your jealousy actually an awesome characteristic?
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There are some characteristics that get a bad rap. People automatically assume if you have them, it is a disadvantage, but here is one negative trait that is actually something awesome. - photo by Megan Shauri
Jealousy is usually seen as something negative. It can easily turn into envy and become a not so pleasant trait, but there are actually some aspects of it that make it an awesome characteristic to have.

Here are 5 reasons why:

1. It can show your significant other how you feel (in a good way)

When your significant other is overly cautious about your interactions with the opposite sex, it may be flattering, rather than over protective. It is usually because they know and realize how attractive you are. Im not just talking about being physically attractive, but that you have a lot of good qualities and characteristics that others find attractive too.

Although being jealous can be taken too far, and causes problems when you let it destroy your trust in the other person, it can also be nice for your significant other to know youre jealous because you still think they are a catch.

2. It can motivate you

A lot of times jealously can be used as a motivator. If you are jealous of someones musical talent, it may motivate you to develop your own talents. If you are jealous that your friend just landed the best job ever, it may motivate you to find your dream job. As long as you dont let the evil part of jealousy take over, you can use it as motivator.

3. It can alert you to potential problems

A lot of the time when people from the opposite sex interact it is innocent. But there are times when someone is making inappropriate advances. If you are normally not a super jealous person, but start to feel those pricklings of jealousy when you observe how someone is acting around your significant other, it could be a red flag that something is up. By talking to your significant other about your feelings you can alert them to what is going on, and perhaps stop something before it starts.

4. It can help you learn to be humble

When you have feelings of jealousy towards others, it can be an opportunity for you to learn humility. Instead of being jealous of someones accomplishments, you can learn to be happy for them. It can be hard to not let your jealousy grow and become something ugly. When you start to feel yourself become jealous, stop yourself. Instead of developing feelings of envy, give them a compliment, and try to feel genuinely happy for them. Use it as a tool for good instead of bad.

5. It can remind us not to take things for granted

Sometimes when we are married to someone for a while, we tend to forget, or take for granted, why we fell in love with them in the first place. When we see that someone else is giving attention to them, it can stir some jealous feelings, and remind us that those qualities are still attractive.

Learning to not take this special person for granted is important. Someone may come along and make them feel more special than you have in a while. Dont let that happen. Remind them every day that they are just as special to you now as they were when you met them.

A personality trait can be a cute quirk, or something more serious. By taking something that is usually looked at as negative, and turning it into something that is enduring, is a good thing. Try to bring out the best in your personality, and use your quirks to your advantage.