Most people dream about large salaries (or, let’s face it—winning the lottery), but the thing about them is that you often have to earn it all by putting in a ton of additional work. That might mean more stress or longer hours. But your junior colleagues might not realize that.

Redditor u/iwasthechubbylady recently went viral on the r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit after sharing a delightful tale about how we should all be very careful about what we wish for. The former family restaurant waitress revealed just how jealous the other staff members were of the tips she kept getting. But they soon learned what it really meant to take on her responsibilities. Scroll down to check out the full story.

Bored Panda reached out to u/iwasthechubbylady, and she was kind enough to answer a few of our questions. You’ll find our interview with her below.

Some of your coworkers might only notice your large paycheck, not your skills or how much effort you put in

Image credits: seventyfourimages (not the actual photo)

A former family restaurant waitress shared just how jealous of her tips some other staff members would get

Image credits: Jason Leung (not the actual photo)

The other waiters quickly realized the harsh truth—they were in way over their head

Image credits: JulieAlexK (not the actual photo)

Image credits: iwasthechubbylady

“If someone works the same job as you but makes more money, it will breed jealousy”

Image credits: MargJohnsonVA (not the actual photo)

Redditor u/iwasthechubbylady told Bored Panda that she wasn’t expecting her post to get so much attention on the internet. She wasn’t sure why her story was so popular on r/MaliciousCompliance.

We wanted to get the woman’s take on why so many waiters might be jealous of their coworkers’ pay.

“Your livelihood depends on tips as a server. You don’t make much in the form of a paycheck, so if someone works the same job as you but makes more money, it will breed jealousy,” she explained.

The solution, according to her, is clear. “The only way to get rid of it is to get rid of the tip culture and pay a living wage to servers.”

Meanwhile, u/iwasthechubbylady explained that it’s a waiter’s attitude that “is the main thing to make people happy.”

“People loved my attitude and how attentive I could be. I also anticipated any of their needs,” she shared.

“My regular customers liked me because I would talk to them get to know what they liked and I would joke with them.”

Jealousy can eat away at you if you only focus on what others make

Image credits: LightFieldStudios (not the actual photo)

The redditor told the internet how it felt like an absolute vacation when someone else took over her section at Village Inn. You see, she would always get the most work to do because she was the most capable. It made sense from a managerial perspective. The waitress’ reward? Well, more tips! And she earned every single cent through back-breaking labor and great interactions with the customers.

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The sad reality is that the moment you start earning more money than your coworkers or friends, they might start feeling jealous. Some might think that you don’t ‘deserve’ your paycheck. Others feel like they’re doing the same amount of work as you are and, naturally, want the same cut. While a few wholeheartedly believe that they could do a better job than you could, given the chance.

Whatever the exact reasons for their envy, they probably have an overly-simplistic understanding of what your job is actually like. They only see the tips you get, not how quickly you work, how experienced you are, and how skillfully you manage a dozen or so tables (while they’ve got just a handful).

It’s perfectly fine to be ambitious. And a dash of friendly competition can reinvigorate the entire staff. However, you need to put your money where your mouth is. Given the chance to prove your worth, you’ve got to show your colleagues, managers, and owners that you’re just as good as (if not better than!) your coworker. It can be a very sobering and humbling lesson to realize that you’re nowhere near their level (yet).

There are ways around letting these feelings live in your head, rent-free

Image credits: nina_p_v (not the actual photo)

One of the best antidotes to jealousy, greed, and envy is gratitude. Take the time to sit down and note down all of the things that you have in your life that you’re grateful for. Your family. How you spend your spare time. Having a roof over your head. And, yes, even having a good, stable job, even if you might not be where you want to be in terms of your career.

Moreover, try to realize that the people earning more money than you have their own problems to deal with. Nobody lives a ‘perfect’ life, and no amount of additional tips is going to solve deep-rooted problems or make your greatest ambitions in life come true.

What’s more, it’s essential to recognize the fact that there will always be someone who earns more than you, whether locally or elsewhere. It is far healthier to shift your mindset to appreciate what you have and then work to improve your skills than to constantly moan about how unfair life is. Fight for a fair wage, demand financial growth and stability in your career, but don’t let jealousy rule your life.

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Envy can be healthy if we’re motivated to look up to others and learn from their success. However, it can turn us bitter if we let these feelings of unfairness live in our minds, rent-free. Try to figure out what high-earners do and emulate their mindset and talents.

For example, if you’re jealous of another waiter, you could try talking to them and asking for some advice on how you could do better. Shadow them a bit to figure out how their approach differs from everyone else’s. Maybe they’re genuinely friendly with the guests. Perhaps they make every customer feel like they’re the most important person in the room. Or they might go the extra mile because they love their job.

A waitress previously told us that the essence of being a great employee is “making sure everyone leaves the meal having had a memorable time.” Perceptiveness and the willingness to do more than the minimum are what customers really appreciate. Especially if they feel that you’re doing it from a place of generosity and professionalism, not just for the tips.

The author of the post shared some more of her thoughts in the comments

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Here’s how some readers reacted to the story about workplace jealousy

Other internet users shared their own experiences at work

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