When my coworker got the promotion I thought I deserved, I was crushed. I smiled on the outside, but inside I resented her for months. I assumed she’d played office politics better than me, or maybe I just wasn’t good enough. Then I found out—she had actually recommended me for the role. HR chose her instead. She’d been trying to mentor me ever since, hoping I’d land the next opening. I felt ashamed. All that bitterness, and she’d been rooting for me the whole time. Her quiet support changed how I see success—and reminded me that not all competition is cruel.
I used to replay the moment she got the promotion like a betrayal. Every meeting, every email, felt like salt in the wound. I kept my distance, convinced she’d stepped over me to climb higher.
But one day, I overheard her talking to a manager about my strengths. She spoke with genuine admiration. That’s when I learned she’d pushed for me first. HR made the final call, not her.
I felt my stomach drop. All those months of resentment, and she’d been trying to lift me up. I’d misread her silence as smugness, when it was actually discomfort—she didn’t know how to tell me.
She never gloated. Instead, she offered guidance, shared resources, and encouraged me to apply again. I finally saw her not as a rival, but as an ally.
We’re closer now. I told her the truth—that I’d misunderstood her, and I was sorry. She just smiled and said, “I always believed in you.”
Sometimes, the person you envy is the one quietly cheering you on. And sometimes, humility begins with an apology.
