We live in a culture of entitlement. All of us. We believe that we are owed something. An easy life, success, wealth, respect, etc. We believe these are owed to us because of who we are, who we know, or maybe from some consideration of fairness. When we do not get what we believe we are entitled to, we get angry and defensive. If there is a demise in store for our culture it will find its roots in the sense of entitlement that both the “haves” and the “have nots” carry in their hearts.
The problem is that entitlement is an equation not an absolute. This is where we go wrong. The word equation means that there is a balance, of sorts, between each side of the equal sign. When we believe that we are owed something, we are not in balance because we have not taken the other side of the equation into consideration.
Consider that respect is earned, wealth is earned, and success is earned. No one would argue with this. Earning balances the equation of entitlement. With that in mind, don’t get caught up in what is fair and unfair. The concept of fairness is tied to entitlement in a way that unbalances the equation. Let’s face it, life does not owe us fairness.
So how do we reconcile the way we view entitlement with the reality of the world in which we live? First we must change what we think we are entitled to. I believe that we accomplish this with the realization that we are entitled to strive to be our best, to achieve success through effort, to earn respect by being respectful.
My father taught me that the road to success and prosperity was by way of out thinking and out working the competition and the expectations of others. An athlete understands that success on the field of play comes from long hours of hard work in practice, which in turn comes from a commitment to excellence. You, in your professional life, must understand this also.
You want that raise or promotion, then make it easy for your employer to offer it to you. Set out to exceed expectations, and to out think and work the competition. There is no guaranty that you will get that raise or promotion no mater how hard you try. Rest assured, though, if you don’t put forth the effort you will not be rewarded and it will be your own fault.
One last thought for this post. Whereas someone who expects reward without effort is a fool, so is the person who does not reward effort. Both leave the equation out of balance.