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Dear Quota Team, 
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I’m an Account Executive for a tech company in Colorado. I’ve worked here for almost five years, and have seen the sales team grow from twenty reps to over four hundred. 
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About eight months ago, my friend from college moved out here from Oregon. He’s in sales too, so before he moved, he asked me if I could get him an interview, and I agreed. He ended up getting an offer, and accepted the position, and has been an AE like me ever since, though he isn’t directly on my team. 
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Here is my problem (and, for the record, I do understand that it’s really petty on my part): he’s absolutely killing it here, and has been ever since he started. I, on the other hand, have been only hitting my quota occasionally, and am struggling to even break into the upper half of all reps.
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The problem is that I’m really jealous of my friend, and it’s making me secretly hate him. He’s a good guy, but for some reason, I can’t get over the fact that I got him the job and now he’s making it look easy while I come in and grind it out day after day. I even find myself being rude to him, and have turned him down to hang out a few times because I’m afraid all I’m gonna think about is how much better he is than me. 
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What should I do? Should I put myself out of my misery and just find another job? 
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Jealous in Colorado
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Dear Jealous, 
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First things first: jealousy is a normal human emotion. It’s okay to feel jealous from time to time. If it wasn’t for jealousy, some of our greatest businesses and creative works probably wouldn’t exist. As they say: “Chips on shoulders put chips in pockets.” 
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That being said, there’s a point where jealousy can cross the line into unhealthy territory, and it sounds like you might be there. By now, those initial feelings should have worn off, or, at least, you should have accepted the situation. 
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Our advice is to mention your feelings to your friend. Don’t make it awkward, just say something like: “You know, you’re really killing it. It’s honestly kind of making me jealous.” You might be surprised at how much better you’ll feel when it’s out in the open. 
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The other thing you could do is try to gain something actionable. Ask your friend what he’s doing that’s working for him. That way, rather than trying to tear him down, you can focus on lifting yourself up to his level. Remember, these are your feelings, so they’re your responsibility. Your friend did absolutely nothing wrong, and quitting is not the answer.