I had a HUGE jump in SMV this year. My band was nominated for awards, moved into a beautiful apartment downtown, more money - things are going great.

HOWEVER: I’ve noticed that a lot of my “friends” seem to have become jealous snakes who really don’t want me to succeed.

  • One of my friends (who I considered my best friend) is always trying to “one-up” me now. He’s definitely jealous of my success, he still lives with his mom, no job, no girls, etc.
  • Another “friend” came out of the woodwork when things started going well for me. If we are out and I’m with a girl, he tries to talk badly about me in front of her. He tries to lecture me on how to live and run my band.

Is it normal for your friends to turn into snakes after you raise your SMV in a big way? I feel like I’m a target now... What’s the solution here - find higher SMV friends? Would you keep the old friends around?