8 Reasons Your Neighbor’s Grass Always Looks Greener
We have all heard the idiom “the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence.” This refers to the way we tend to play up all the positive things we see about others and ignore any negative aspects of their lives. Concurrently, we downplay the positive things we have going on our side of the fence. This is a major distortion of reality, because, for the most part, we ALL are capable of “growing and maintaining green grass.”
Serious troubles in life come when you get preoccupied with how green your neighbor’s grass is in comparison to yours. You begin to think that good things only happen to other people, that they go through life giddily picnicking on their ever luscious green grass while you are being persecuted and suffering under the burden of terrible conditions that refuse to let your grass be great. Successful people accept reality and work with the cards they are dealt.
In order to tackle this pesky proclivity of denying the goodness of our own lives, let us first explore some reasons your neighbor’s grass may appear greener:
- Your grass actually is just as green—you just haven’t taken a good look at it yet or you just are so hard on yourself: In this case, you are bad at counting your blessings maybe because you are too preoccupied with your neighbor’s side of the fence to take a detailed look at what you have going on your side or you just tend to be your own worst critic. If you took the time to sincerely and fairly search yourself, you would likely find fields of green grass on your side of the fence or, at the very least, the necessary qualities and conditions to yield green grass.
- You have gotten a proper assessment and the soil on your side of the fence is infested with bugs and/or is of poor quality: In this scenario, you can pour all the time and resources into tilling your soil but you will likely not grow green grass. Arm yourself with data so that you can work more intelligently and efficiently. Investigate the reasons for your failures and come up with new methods to help you succeed—don’t just complain and lust after your neighbor’s green grass from afar believing your situation to be hopeless. You may decide to sell and move on to greener pastures or stay and get soil treatment. You have options–explore them.
- You do not water your grass regularly but your neighbor does: Rather than bemoaning your neighbor’s success at growing green grass, invest that time and energy toward preparing your soil, planting seeds and watering your own lawn, after all, you only reap what you sow.
- Your neighbor gets expert help with his lawn: Your neighbor seeks expert guidance and invests resources in lawn care services because having green grass is very important to him/her. If growing green grass is not your forte or you do not have the time to do it yourself, get expert help at a price point that will suit your budget. This principle can be applied to many other life goals.
- You have not asked your neighbor for advice on how to grow green grass: Why not ask your neighbor the secret to his/her success? Don’t let fear/ego/insecurities keep you from networking and forming strong and mutually-beneficial alliances. You may be good at something your neighbor needs help with and your neighbor may be willing to share some tips for grass growing success. Remember, a problem shared (to the right person), is a problem half-solved.
- Your neighbor’s benefactor (dad, mother-in-law, boyfriend, concubine…) owns a Lawn Care Company/is a Lawn Care Expert: You may not have a benefactor in grass growing, but if you search really hard, I am sure you will find you have a benefactor in other aspects of your life. So, while you may have to cough up the resources or time to grow your own grass (unlike your neighbor), other burdens may have been lifted for you to allow you to put that time/resource toward growing grass—be grateful! Resist envy by staying in your lane. Craving what is out of your reach is an exercise in auto-affliction. Set attainable goals based on your actual resources and/or outlook to enable you cut your coat according to your size.
- Your neighbor invests so heavily in his/her grass to the point of imbalanced priorities and workaholism: Your neighbor has sacrificed a healthy family life, leisure time and good mental health just to have the best grass in the neighborhood. Is green grass really worth all that?
- Your neighbor’s lawn is not actually grass—it is some artificial green stuff that looks like grass: Before your torment yourself over someone’s fake existence, make sure you are comparing your apples to actual apples.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Please share them in the comment section below and let’s grow together, building a strong community of lifelong learners.
Love, Chichi
Very true! Counting our blessings always gives the drive to strive for more blessings. Really insightful and encouraging reasons to drop all negativities and mindset of feeling we are not having it as good as we think others are having it!
Being contempt, creative and with a vision as well as regular review of progress in life, make a huge difference.
Yess!!!! Thank you so much for your feedback. Glad you enjoyed the article.
I find this very useful.
Most people resort to comparing their behind the scenes to other people’s filtered, polished and photoshopped lives as seen on Instagram and Facebook.
And that’s the cause of our inability to enjoy our life’s journey and sleep comfortable on our own green lawns.
Yessss!!! Thank you so much Ebuka. Very well said. You totally get it.
Chichi, what a beautiful article and sound advice. I especially loved points 4 and 6. I’m a big proponent of looking for help when needed and not relying on our own perceptions to solve problems. And 6 is something my parents always taught, envy has no room in your space for success so get over it. I love your thoughts, words, and insight. I can’t wait to see the next one. Love, Marjorie
Thank you so much Marjorie. I am glad you enjoyed the article. Your parents were spot on!!!
I agree with all the points you’ve made. I particularly like #8. So true in life. It goes well with #5. If you ask your neighbor for advice, you might just learn your neighbor has always wanted to have a yard that looks just like yours. Nothing wrong with exchanging ideas on things worth having. But it calls for stepping out of your zone and simply asking.
Thank you so much. Yes, it is amazing what can happen when we step out of our comfort zones.
Thoughtfully written. Thank you CCC MD
So glad you like the article. You are so welcome. Thank you for stopping by and don’t forget to share 🙂
The central theme of hard work and proper communication is so important in all the things that we do, both professionally and In Our personal lives. Great writing Sis.
Yes,hard work and communication are crucial. Great synopsis bro. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Ain’t that the truth! If your grass isn’t green, water it! ‘Nuff said. Very insightful and eloquently written. Thanks for sharing sis
‘Nuff said oh my dear. Thanks so much for the feedback 😘