Wake Up, Nobody Owes You Anything
4 Ways Your Entitlement is Killing You.
You must be extremely self-centered to think you are the most important person in the room. Any room.
Even if you are, let other people say so!
There is something repugnant about self-centered people who go around behaving as if the world owes them favors.
The fancy word is "Narcissism", which the dictionary defines as "an exceptional interest in, and admiration of yourself".
Some people hold there’s a subtle difference between narcissism and self-centeredness. I struggle to see that difference.
Another manifestation of narcissism is plain, old pride. Even the Bible has something to say on the subject:
Romans.12.3 - For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Of course, this scripture in no way advocates for lackluster, docile people reeking with low self-esteem.
That scripture doesn’t say do not think highly of yourself.
It rather says you shouldn’t think of yourself more highly than you ought to.
In everyday language, I guess that means you should not always think you are the best thing since sliced bread!
Entitlement is a b*tch. And I don’t even swear!
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, let me paint the picture better with examples.
Truth be told, you’ve met them before. They come in all shades, colors, and flavors:
- The unbearable classmate in secondary school whose father/mother was the principal.
- The rude child at church whose dad was the Pastor.
- The insolent Customer Service Representative whose mum was the C.E.O. of the company.
The list goes on and on. People who have an inflated opinion of themselves are poster children for entitled behavior. They can be found everywhere.
If my previous examples don’t make any sense to you, there’s one of three possibilities:
- Either you've lived a very sheltered, unexciting, unadventurous life,
- You are very young, or
- You ARE that self-centered, narcissistic, entitled person I am talking about!
Whatever the case, self-centeredness is a complete turn-off for most people.
4 Ways Your Self-centeredness is Killing You.
#1. Your self-centeredness is blinding you to everyone you can learn from in the room.
When you think you are the best thing since the invention of fried rice and slow-cooked chicken, you are automatically blinded from seeing amazing, gifted people around you that you could learn from.
Even if your pride stems from the fact that you are exceptionally good at doing a particular job, there might be aspects of that job that you don't completely master.
Humility allows you to learn from others who, even if are not better than yourself, are probably more skilled in certain aspects of the job.
#2. Your self-centeredness is stopping others from pointing out your flaws/weaknesses.
However good you are, there's always room for improvement.
But if you are so in awe of your amazingness, no one dares to face you about areas in which you could need improvement.
That’s a problem. A huge one.
#3. Your self-centeredness prevents you from seeing those around you who genuinely need help.
If you are so smitten with yourself, it is unlikely that you can see anyone else around you who deserves genuine attention.
The reason is simple. You are so full of yourself that there is no space for anyone else!
If you often find your word is law and war erupts when it isn’t, you need to rethink your approach to dealing with people.
#4. Your entitled behavior makes you see people as tools to be used.
Tools. You heard me right. You see others as tools to be used.
Consequently, genuine relationships with people are impossible.
Because you carry your own spotlight, you are both the performer and the audience at your own show.
How do I know that I see others as tools? You may ask.
Well, if you find the only time you need to get in touch with people is when you want them to do things for you, viola! You have your answer.
You might need to seriously rethink what people mean to you.
FINAL THOUGHT
Self-centeredness can be appealing in a world where life feels like a jungle. But if you are always in “survival of the fittest” mode, you end up being the sore loser.
It is important to think about others, learn from others and allow others to make valuable contributions to our lives.
People don’t always have to feel like tools to be used around you.
If you think people owe you anything, you must be dreaming.
Wake up, nobody owes you anything. Other people are more important than you are giving them credit for.
