Isn’t it funny—well, not ha-ha funny, but the kind that stings a little—how some people can’t stand seeing you win, even just a little?
We all have that one friend. The one whose milestones you’ve cheered for like you were the one on the stage receiving the certificate, trophy, promotion, or congratulations. You clap the loudest, you share their posts, you tell other friends, “Uy, si ano oh—grabe, ang galing niya ngayon!” You feel genuinely proud of them because that’s what real support is supposed to look like.
But when it’s your turn? When you finally get a tiny win—something that took courage, or effort, or even healing—they give you the look.
The classic eye roll.
The sarcastic, “Been there, done that.”
The casual dismissal: “It will expire.”
Or worse, the kind of comment that makes your confidence cave in from the inside.
It’s wild how some people can carry so much envy in such small moments.
You begin to wonder: Why does my happiness bother them so much? Why can they celebrate themselves endlessly, yet treat my wins like inconveniences?
And then it hits you—maybe it has nothing to do with the size of your success, and everything to do with the size of their insecurity.
It’s ironic, even painful, when the people who are most resentful of your progress are the same ones who can’t seem to keep their own life steady. Failed relationships. Chaotic situations. Jobs that don’t last. No real stability. No real direction. It’s not that they’re bad people—but they carry wounds, regrets, and broken pieces that haven’t been healed… and unfortunately, they project those onto you.
Your joy becomes a reminder of what they feel they don’t have.
Your progress becomes their mirror.
Your tiny wins become their source of bitterness.
But here’s the thing: your life is not their scoreboard.
Your happiness doesn’t take anything from them. Your success doesn’t make them smaller. Your progress doesn’t erase their own potential.
You deserve to celebrate your wins—big or small—without needing permission from anyone’s ego.
If someone can’t clap for you the way you clapped for them, maybe the friendship isn’t rooted in love, but in convenience. Maybe they liked you better when you were behind them, struggling, unsure, or quiet. Maybe your growth disrupted the balance they were comfortable with.
And maybe… that’s not a friend you need to keep.
Because real friends don’t compete.
Real friends don’t belittle.
Real friends don’t quietly hope you stay stuck so they can feel ahead.
Real friends celebrate with you, even when their own life is messy.
So keep winning—quietly or loudly, slowly or steadily.
Keep growing. Keep improving. Keep choosing yourself.
Because the right people will clap.
The right people will cheer.
And the wrong ones?
They will show themselves eventually—and that’s also a win.
A painful, eye-opening, necessary win.
