With the new year approaching, I wanted to reminisce on the past a little bit, and remember a simpler time--fall of 2015. Not only was this such a fun and easy time for us millennials, but it was also a time that brought us one of the best albums, "What A Time To Be Alive" and what a time it was. Drake and Future are two of my favorite rap artists for many reasons, but if we dig deeper, past the punch lines and occasional digs at other celebrities, you can take a lot from the music.

One of my favorite songs on Drake and Future's joint album "What A Time To Be Alive" is called "Scholarships," and that's not just because of its cool ass beat. In the song, the two rap about their accomplishments and how they 'go hard' so that they can get what they want and so rightfully deserve.

Now before we get into the reason for me writing this article, I wanted to say this:

I know we live in an evil world, with a lot of mean people who will stop at nothing to see you fail, but in saying that, there are also a lot of good people who are capable of giving you the support and love you deserve.

For me to move on and succeed
For me to move on and succeed
Jealousy, envy and greed
Too much of that sh** I don't need it

Lately, I've been noticing a lot of hatred and bitterness, both on social media and in real life. It seems as though people can't just be happy for one another these days. Everything is seen as more of a competition in terms of who can reach that next point in their life before the other when in reality, we should be encouraging each other to get to that next point in our lives and become successful together. I feel that we have become a money hungry society, only focused on helping ourselves and hoping that our neighbors don't become successful before us. Aside from success, these days, people you've never even met before are wishing bad luck on you due to envy and/or jealousy. Whether it be jealousy of possessions, talents, or friends, these days, you often find people who hate on you simply because they are not completely satisfied with themselves.

What I've learned over the years is this: When people feel threatened by your potential, they often turn against you because they feel that they cannot reach your level of success. That idea of not being able to match your ambitious energy and possible success angers them.

You hear people say "If you ain't got no haters you ain't poppin," or "If you don't have haters, you're doing something wrong," but the simple fact is this: It's not fun having people dislike you, whether that be people who have turned away from you or against you or people who have never met you a day in their life. Envy and jealousy are unfortunate traits in our world because not only do they create people who have cold hearts and want others to fail for their benefit, but it also creates damaged individuals who are on the receiving end of that jealousy and/or envy.

The fact of the matter is this: No one wants to feel hated for reasons they cannot control.

Instead of envying people because of their looks, potential, popularity, or any other reason, take a step back and think: What do I gain from this? This world would be a much better place if we acknowledged other people's talents, beauty, and influence, rather than tear them down to cater to our own insecurities. I myself am guilty of doing this, and I'm sure most people reading this are as well, but my point in writing this is to shed light on the issue and say that we need to uplift each other rather than degrade one another for reasons stemming from envy.

What Future said in 2015 still applies to 2018, and probably will still apply in the years to come, but what I want to do is challenge everyone to try something different this upcoming year. Instead of being envious of others, whether that be someone you know personally or someone you follow on social media, try and turn that energy into something positive and uplifting. You think that girl on campus is 'too pretty' and you feel yourself growing envious of her and the attention she may get? Go compliment her and get to know her instead of envying her from afar.

Envy can easily turn into hate, and more hate is the last thing this world needs.