A friend of mine shared her success story on her WhatsApp status a few days ago. I was so happy, genuinely proud of how far she has come. Without thinking twice, I reshared her post, celebrated her publicly, and even sent her a personal message to congratulate her.
Her response shocked me.
She was grateful, but also very surprised. I asked her why, and she said, “Ruth, ever since this breakthrough in my career, some of my friends have been acting differently...cold, quiet, distant… I can feel the hate and envy. And yet you, someone I’m not even very close to, celebrated me so loudly.”
I told her, “But what is there not to celebrate? You worked hard. You earned it.” Sadly, she said the people she expected to be happy for her were the first to withdraw.
That conversation stayed with me. And again this evening, it came to my mind… so I decided to write this:
Success is beautiful… until it isn’t.
Believe it or not, success doesn’t only attract applause, sometimes it attracts silent hate, envy and jealousy. You’d think achieving your dreams would bring more love and support, but often it comes with whispers, cold shoulders, assumed intentions and hidden resentment.
Why? Because success exposes insecurity.
When you rise, break limits, graduate, buy a car, win awards or start a business, it unintentionally reminds some people of where they are not yet. Instead of being inspired, they feel threatened.
Your success becomes a mirror they don’t want to look into. Then comparison begins: “Why her? Why not me?” And when comparison mixes with pride and pain, jealousy is born.
The truth is, some people only love you small. They are comfortable with you as long as you stay at their level. But the moment you grow beyond their expectations, they change the script.
And yes, familiarity breeds contempt. Strangers may celebrate you more than those who know you because they remember your beginnings, your mistakes and your flaws. For some, it’s hard to believe that greatness can come from someone “like you.”
But real friends? They celebrate you. They don’t shrink when you shine....your light inspires them to shine too.
So don’t fear success because of people’s opinions. Not everyone will clap, but don’t let that silence your progress. For every jealous heart, there is someone quietly praying for you. For every hater, there are two people being motivated by your journey.
Keep growing. Don’t shrink to make others comfortable. Celebrate others too, because when you clap for others, your heart becomes ready to receive applause without guilt.
Success is not the problem.....people’s hearts are.
Some will envy you.
Some will learn from you.
Some will hate you.
Others will become better because of you.
So rise anyway.
Your light was never meant to be hidden.