Does the World Owe You?

Have you ever met people who thought everyone owed them something because they had a rough childhood? Do classmates who constantly try to finagle extra credit or extensions on project deadlines, due to the fact that they are irresponsible and make excuses, irritate you? Does it annoy you when people claim they deserve to live the good life and own nice possessions because they know what "hard work" is, but they have only worked hard a couple days in their lives? When I meet people who fit my descriptions, it irritates me.

Throughout my life, there have been times when I thought life was unfair: people have made mean comments about me, I was frustrated because I never had the right last name, and my family wasn't financially wealthy. It was disheartening to know that opportunities I wanted available to me weren't there. Based on the information I provided, do you know how easy it would be to become self-entitled? It would be easy to say people "owe me" because I have dealt with hardship. However, I would not describe myself in this manner. Why? For starters, there are others who have had hardship in their lives. I can honestly say there are people who have had it rougher than myself. When I think about what others go through, it would be selfish to be self-entitled.

No one owes me anything. If I want something, I have to work for it. Life isn't always fair. There will be times when I am at the right place at the wrong time, managing family commitments and graduate student life can be difficult at times, and there will be days when everything goes wrong. When life doesn't seem fair, instead of suggesting people owe me, I think about the facts that I have an amazing family, I am currently in the process of earning my third college degree, and my basic survival needs are met.

If you know of someone who thinks s/he is self-entitled because they have had it rough or are spoiled, kindly remind them that they're blessed. There are many things to be thankful for in life and their situation can always be worse than it currently is. If, for some reason, the person is at their breaking point, be a support system and tell them that life only gets better.