Thursday, May 1, 2014

What Do You Deserve?

So many people feel like they deserve so much:

  • I deserve this promotion, because I’ve worked here for 30 years.
  • I deserve this house and car, because I work 40 hours a week.
  • I deserve this man, because I’m educated and have a decent job.
Entitlement is a disease. It affects the way we behave and treat people. Because you cannot be grateful for something that you feel entitled to. Pete Wilson talks about this in a great blog post entitled, The Death of Gratitude.

Entitlement will kill any relationship
When you have the mindset that you deserve something, you won’t appreciate it.
For example, I could not appreciate it when my husband takes out the trash...if I feel like that’s his job.

Comparison Society
image| onlineautoinsurance.com
I was talking to my wise friend, Byron, about this topic. We agree that the rise of social media is a contributing factor.

Because it allows us to constantly compare ourselves to others.  We see an image of someone’s new car or new house and say to ourselves “Hey, I’m waaay better than them. So, I should have something better.



I Struggle Too
I’ve been blogging for 4 years, and I feel like I deserve to be a lot farther along.
The problem is that I compare myself to the results of others. I see people on Shark Tank and think “ I could do that.” Or I read a post and think? Why does this person have more followers than me? I’m a way better writer.

But, I’m comparing myself to their results…not their journey to their results.

Relationships
The same is true for relationships. You may think you deserve this person or that. But, if you are comparing yourself to people that seemingly have it all together …be careful. You don’t know what they’ve been through.

What Do We Deserve? 
Absolutely nothing.
And in the end, simply waking up in the morning is a bonus.

A Word from Dave Ramsey
When someone asks Dave Ramsey “how are you?” He says “Better than I deserve.”

Now, this is a man that has been featured on Oprah, has at least 3 New York Times Bestsellers, is an award-winning radio host, and has helped millions of people attain financial freedom.

Yet, he doesn't feel entitled to anything. The world would be a better place if more of us held this attitude and lacked a sense of entitlement. 


Question: What strategies can you and I use to fight the entitlement mindset? 

*Image|umbc.edu

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