Assholes often have a cutthroat sense of ambition that humble people lack - which translates into higher positions in bigger companies. They know what they want, and they know how to maneuver themselves into getting it.

Don't dismay. It sounds like you have some great qualities to bring to the table, and it's probably just a matter of synching with an employer who understands the value of positive people. Good luck.

How they do this is they manage up meaning they treat people above them one way and their underlings another way. They have more than one persona. Plus assholes want to hire their own - it is a club and the assholes at the top are there many times because of being assholes and they want to hire their own, hence your manager being ahead. If you have your health you are coming out ahead so try to not focus on the asshole doing well and enjoy activites that don't involve work and dealing/being around/having assholes in your thought arena.

Maybe he was good at his job. Being well liked isn't always the primary criteria for getting ahead.

The good guys do not necessarily win. Karma is mere wish-thinking.

That is why we like fables and stories, to see the wicked punished and the virtuous raised up.

Does that mean you should be a jerk to get ahead?

Absolutely not. For one, you have to live with yourself.

Two, when you and I die, our careers are going to get MAYBE two sentences in the obituary, where it will come after the list of people who will really miss us - I call "success" having a pretty substantial number of people who are going to be upset rather than thrilled that we left the world.

Third, I believe that you can square this circle. That we can learn to be assertive and self-promoting without being boastful, false, or unethical. I think the trick is to be prepared and focused on work, at work. Then, when the boss is lost and looking for answers, the one with the suggestions is YOU. That's not luck. That's preparation.

... even small business is fundamentally and intrinsically a cutthroat scenario, and being nicey nice doesn't fit the bill. Kind and considerate gets rolled over in the business world and the more corporate it is the worse it gets. For some this is the natural way, for others it's the way of the devil.

Why do you compare your life to others. Be grateful and happy for the life you have. Don't worry, there is someone else much worse off than you who would love to have your life. LISTEN TO YOUR MIND!!!