Just a few weeks ago, I got together with my college friends for a reunion

[vannt]

Just a few weeks ago, I got together with my college friends for a reunion. We had a discussion about family, career, and life. One of us expressed their feelings. He felt like a failure and was so jealous with his friend who at the same age made more money than him. He aimed to harness this emotion to drive himself to work harder and increase his earnings. He had thought too much, his life differed greatly from that of his friend. If his friend were to live his life, I doubt his friend would do better than him, so he should calm down, stop overthinking, and relax

 

[teechar]

Just a few weeks ago, I got together with my college friends for a reunion. We had a discussion about family, career, and life.

That's not wrong, but it's formal. In a casual conversation with friends, you would say "We talked about ...".

One of us expressed their former classmate opened up about his feelings. He felt like a failure and was so jealous with of one of his friends who, at the same age, has made more money than him. He aimed to harness this emotion to drive motivate himself to work harder and increase his earnings.

See above.

He had thought too much, his life differed greatly from that of his friend. If his friend were to live his life, I doubt his friend would do better than him, so he should calm down, stop overthinking, and relax

That part is not very clear. Try rewriting it.

 

[vannt]

That part is not very clear. Try rewriting it.

I think he was overthinking, his life and his friend's life were different. If his friend lived his life, I don't think his friend would live better than him, so he should calm down.

 

[teechar]

If his friend lived his life, I don't think his friend would live better than him, so he should calm down.

That still doesn't make sense, I'm afraid.

 

[Tarheel]

Perhaps:

I got together with a few of my college friends. We talked about various things. We talked about career, family, and life in general.

Telling somebody to calm down never works.

Was he agitated? Is that why you told him to calm down?

I would have said he was envious of his friend.

If somebody has achieved something you haven't achieved you can react with admiration or you can react with envy. (There is also indifference, which is pretty much no reaction.)

 

[vannt]

That still doesn't make sense, I'm afraid.

If his friend was him, he couldn't be better than my friend.

 

[vannt]

Telling somebody to calm down never works?

Do you any advice for my friend?

Was he agitated? Is that why you told him to calm down?

Not much. I just cheer him up.

 

[teechar]

If his friend [A: the man who is doing well] was him [B: your friend: the man who is not doing so/as well], he [ A] couldn't be better than my friend .

How does that make sense?!

 

[Tarheel]

Do you any advice for my friend?

Not much. I just WANTED TO cheer him up.

Then "calm down" isn't what I would have said. I don't know what I would have said. (I don't know him.) But not that

 

[emsr2d2]

I think he was overthinking it. His life and his friend's life were different. If his friend had lived his life, I don't think his friend would live have done [any] better than him, so he should calm down stop worrying about it.

See above. That's what I think you mean! Let's give these people names (because using "he", "his" and "him" to refer to two different people is getting confusing). Here's how I see the situation:

You have a friend called John and he has a friend called Peter.
John is unhappy because he keeps comparing his life with Peter's.
John is aware that, at the same age, Peter had made more money than he (John) had.
John wants to use those feelings to motivate himself to make more money.
In your opinion, if Peter had been born into the same situation/family etc as John, Peter would not have done as well as he did in his own real life.
Because of that, you think John should stop worrying about things he can't change and just concentrate on his own life.

Have I got that right?

Do you have any advice for my friend?

Live your own life.
Don't compare yourself to others.

 

[Tarheel]

I would say:

He and his friend's lives were different.

We do the best with what we have. Perhaps:

You've done your best. Also, you've learned through living. You can have confidence that based on what you've learned you will do better in the future. Keep your chin up.

 

[vannt]

If his friend were him, he couldn't do better than my friend.

See above. That's what I think you mean! Let's give these people names (because using "he", "his" and "him" to refer to two different people is getting confusing). Here's how I see the situation:

You have a friend called John and he has a friend called Peter.
John is unhappy because he keeps comparing his life with Peter's.
John is aware that, at the same age, Peter had made more money than he (John) had.
John wants to use those feelings to motivate himself to make more money.
In your opinion, if Peter had been born into the same situation/family etc as John, Peter would not have done as well as he did in his own real life.
Because of that, you think John should stop worrying about things he can't change and just concentrate on his own life.

Have I got that right?


Live your own life.
Don't compare yourself to others.

Yes, that's right. That's what I mean