I am sure you have met someone who betrayed you at some point, didn’t you? You must have felt that your energy drained drastically around some people. If yes, those could be your fake or jealous friends.
We meet different people in our lifetime; some become our good friends who hold us back firmly, and some pull us down because they are either jealous or selfish.
Signs of Friends Who Want to See You Fail
Jealous friends
Jealous friends don’t take others’ success well or become upset when they see other people grow. They are happy when you are on par with them, but the minute you surpass them, they’ll become jealous.
You can feel their jealousy in their behavior, words, and actions. Be cautious of them as you have minimal energy and time. You don’t want to waste your energy and time on types of people not worth keeping in touch with.
Not Available When Needed
They are not available when you need them the most. They are present when you are happy. For example, if you are partying and having fun, they are there, but when you need their support, they are not there like those relatives who just come to eat at weddings and functions.
Gets Competitive With You
They are so competitive that they don’t like seeing you go up the ladder. Their competitive spirit doesn’t allow them to make meaningful connections. They are always trying to become number one, so they can’t take it if you perform better than them.
For example, a topper in a class is nobody’s genuine friend. They are primarily concerned about themselves and their grades.
Discourage You
They subtly discourage you from what they are getting jealous of in your work. Constructive criticism helps you perform better; discouragement demotivates you while you chase a goal. You must apply a filter to pass the negative things and take the positivity around.
Unsupportive Towards You
They don’t support your goal. If a friend secretly wants you to fail, they block your road to success. When you tell them about your goals or dreams, they explain why it won’t work. It leads to toxicity when they manipulate you away from success. You need to be cautious of such toxic friends.
Make You Feel Unworthy
They make you feel that you are not capable enough of doing something. They only highlight your weaknesses rather than your strong points. Psychology says it can break your confidence and hence will to do. You need to be mentally strong to chase a goal by heart.
Bad Influence on You
They may take you on the wrong path in life. It could be drinking, smoking, or anything else that is not good for your health, finances, or overall well-being. People who have a bad influence on you will want to keep you on the same level; thus, they will secretly want you to fail.
Never Genuinely Happy for You
You must have had such an experience before. Maybe a close friend of you struggled to be happy when you achieved something remarkable.
Maybe it was a promotion at work or any other milestone; most of your friends will be thrilled, but that one person will make it hard to come up with a genuine message of congratulations.
That’s because they are busy comparing themselves to you and simply your jealous friends. Such behavior indicates envy or resentment as if they don’t wish you the best.
Spread Negativity About You
Do you know a person who seems to be sharing your mistakes more than your achievements? It could be an indication of a red warning.
Gossiping or sharing false information about you is not a sign of a good friend. It may be an attempt to sabotage your image, maybe because of competition or jealousy.
No one wants to have a friend who secretly enjoys watching you struggle. If you observe this pattern of behavior, it may be the right time to stay away from such friends.
Secretly Enjoy Your Misfortunes
It’s normal to feel a tingle of disappointment or jealousy when a person succeeds where we’ve fallen short; a friend who willfully wants you to be a failure goes one step higher.
It’s possible that your jealous friends are delighted when things go wrong with you. Maybe you didn’t get the job you had hoped for, or perhaps your latest venture did not go as planned. Instead of empathizing with your disappointment, they may appear cheerful. Such behavior comes from deep-rooted negativity and toxicity in a person.
Conclusion
We are social beings and can not survive in isolation. Still, you must be wise enough when choosing your company, friends, or life partner. If you have jealous friends who want to see you fail, they do something or block your road to success.
To survive in this world, you need to grow emotionally and stop being naive. People will take advantage of your innocence if you are not learning from your mistakes. Your innocence will not be cherished in this world full of devils. It does not mean you start seeing everyone with suspicious eyes, but be wary of your company.
In the book Atomic Habits, James Clears says if you want success, surround yourself with successful people. If you’re going to become a businessman, surround yourself with successful business people. If you want to become spiritual, start going to the temple and in the company of spiritual people. Your surroundings matter a lot; therefore, save yourself from people who secretly want to see you fail.