Tall Poppy Syndrome 

It is hard for me to fathom how any high achiever, super-duper producer, would not have the support of those around him or her.  Well it does exist and it is called the “tall poppy syndrome.”  The expression is more common in Europe than in the states, and denotes that there are often two groups of people in the world: those who are a riding high on success, the “tall poppies,” and those who wish to bring them down to size and pop the tall poppy’s over-achieving bubble. Taylor Swift might call the last group, “haters,” and remind you that “haters gonna hate, hate, hate” and you must simply “shake it off.” 

In my analytical mind, that is cute, however, I like to go deeper in order to understand why this type of begrudgery exists at all. While not scientific, I would reason that this treatment is somehow warranted in the mind of inferior thinkers. It reminds me of the “don’t hate me because I’m beautiful” commercial in the 90s. Hate is a strong word, yet it could be a valid feeling for someone who already feels ugly inside. At that moment, they might not want to run into Miss America, dressed in all her perfection and positivity. Or the quiet guy might resent working on a team with “the golden boy.” There could be a tall poppy situation about to happen. Do you recall, Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding? 

In closing, if you cannot get excited by someone else’s blessings in life, and destructive actions or thoughts become the modus operandi for dealing with internal pain or competition, please get professional help.