Gratitude begins where my sense of entitlement ends.
– Steven Furtick
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, ‘entitlement’ is the feeling of belief that you deserve to be given something (such as special privileges). It’s fascinating how easy it is to fall into this pattern, because entitlement often begins as a harmless ‘carefree’ attitude. Entitlement can also be a misinterpretation of the law of attraction: instead of visualizing and therefore attracting what they want from a place of hope and gratitude; some people adopt the following approach: “well, I deserve that the universe gives me this and that; so why can’t others see that?”. It is, of course, the total opposite of gratitude and a hugely pernicious force in people’s lives.
You see – entitlement is a mirage. It gives the person the illusion of self-esteem; when, in fact, its real purpose is to shine a spotlight on the person’s needs and how important they are – or should be – to those around him/her.
Every now and then, we come across someone who is entitled. We immediately complain about it, although we very rarely confront them. But – have you ever contemplated if you may have acted this way recently (or maybe not so recently)? The reason I pose this question is that entitlement is one of the biggest obstacles to living a life of positiveness and kindness. Entitlement breeds negative emotions, and it is often silent and subtle. It’s an attitude that can only be eliminated through gratitude, generosity, and love.
All our actions and words have an impact on others, and they define who we are to those around us. It’s always good to keep checking our own motivations, and the source of our aspirations; just to make sure they come from a place of love.
Always looking forward to your comments at docbeverly@aol.com.
