Greener grass

Many people assume everyone else have better lives and that injustice is only aimed at them. General point to remember if you think the world is set against you, chance are the world has better things to do with its time. That said of course it's not paranoia if they are out to get you.

Some great examples can be seen in the gym. Scrawny sticks like me when trying to gain mass will look at the endomorph enviously. In return the guy who looks at a dumbbell and gains a stone of muscle will be used to looking at cakes and gaining a stone of flab so will be envious of Mr Ectomorph’s permanent 6 pack and lean physique.

Women are the same. The stick figure women aspire to imitate will look at some fuller figures jealous that despite wearing 13 wonderbras they still don't have their chest.
The added joy of people with no desire to exercise except to shovel food or pour beer into their mouths, criticise fit folk for being sad and boring, guilty as charged, then wish they didn't have to stop Greenpeace dragging them out to sea when on the beach and want the fit look without the effort. One of the funniest statistics from a few years ago was the bestselling 'exercise equipment' was the delightful electronic muscle stimulators, if you want something funnier, watch somebody using one.

Bikers and car drivers are the same. I’ve always loved bikes, but there are times when it's nice to be in a car with cruise control and stereo chatting to family and friends in luxury. The joy of this disappears when in a jam watching bikes zip past as I do during rush hour.

The cool/ geek or nerd comparison, which has become blurred as geeks are becoming cool. Bill Gates spoke at a school and said ‘Be nice to nerds, chances are you will be working for one.’ At school being brainless with sheep like fashion sense is cool, and nerdy kids wish they could be like them. In the real world this gets you very little and the cool kids soon end up wishing they'd paid more attention in class so they could be earning the nerd wages, especially when they realise drinking several beers every weekend from age 15 has left them looking less cool. Of course there are nerdy kids who don't do as well as they hoped and they often feel life has been very unfair to them.

There is the married single jealousy. Many single wish they had someone and married wish for their single freedom. I remember telling a colleague years ago that those having affairs etc. generally had less than successful single history. He was confused by this and told me that he wouldn't consider an affair but was with the woman from his first relationship. I asked him what he'd wanted when single and he smiled as he replied 'To be married with a family.' realising he'd had a very successful single life, getting exactly what he wanted. The people we were working with who had been caught out, were declaring how bad life had been to them, sympathy not forthcoming.

I have been the shortest in sports where height is a benefit, and tallest in a power-lifting event where this is a major handicap. However if you want to be easily underestimated being average height is great.

There is the young and old debate. Age is considered the process where broadness of mind and narrowness of waist change places. I listened to a lot of older people in my youth, some younger than I am now, and realised the wisdom in doing the crazy stuff young and getting it out of my system. Doing so helped me, but if you aren't crazy in the first place, that is probably better.
If you are young envying the old, try to remember that you will likely get there, and be happier if you didn’t rush the journey. My guidance, live like there is no tomorrow, but be aware there probably will be.
When you do something stupid or reckless and it goes wrong as it often does, it was your fault, no-one else’s, deal with it. I have damaged myself doing stupid things and been encouraged to do many of them, each will have felt like a good or at least acceptable idea at the time. Finding out it wasn’t doesn't make it the fault of others, I was still the muppet doing it.

If you travel and really get involved in the places you are in, you will notice people think of your home as wonderful, and wish for things you have. Appreciate what you have, and if you want more work for it. This may not be job related it could be making your relationship with someone stronger, giving up cigarettes or another addiction you hate or so many things. Try to remember that much of your success or failure will be in your control, and what isn't can often be fudged or ignored, with varying success or hilarious failures. If it all goes wrong, you will have tried and the chances are found some great people on the same journey.

As with any of these posts have fun pulling it apart, disagreeing or adding to it.
The idea is to have a bit of a laugh at some often serious stuff, which is easier said than done at times.