Are you one to let circumstance control you? Do you sit back and let someone or something else live your life? If you are not sure how to respond to these questions the answer is probably yes. Life will always “be going,” you get to decide and direct how it affects you and where it takes you. What I mean by this is that life will do, create, form, shape, or build and it’s in our control if it does, creates, forms, shapes, or builds for us or against us.

 
In life we become frustrated because we didn’t get something or something didn’t go the way we envisioned. Why is that? It’s because somewhere along the way we decided that the world owed us something and it doesn’t. If we’ve established a mindset of “gimme, gimme” sure we’ll get something but chances are we will be upset about it.

 
Entitlement is a one way street to frustration, anger, pride, arrogance, and depression. Expecting something for nothing is not a rational thought. When in the history of the world was it a practice to receive for nothing? Never. We need to provide a service to receive. We need to be go getters. The second we wait for someone with a handout we’ll never stop waiting.

 
I would like to tell a story of a man whose entitlement took him places. A young man started working at his dream job. He knew he’d be promoted quickly because of his skill set. In his mind he was a hard working, dedicated, efficient, and powerful employee. Three other people started the same day and all went through training together.

 
He breezed past training, as did the rest of the group. But in his mind he did it much better. After the first real week of work, he thought he would be the first to be promoted. His peers were working at the same rate as he did but he thought he was far ahead of them. Four months went by and he wasn’t promoted yet, “It will come any day now” he thought.

 
Six months passed and his frustration level reached its limit. One of his peers was promoted. He was furious because he was the best, most efficient employee they had, so he thought. His sense of entitlement soon skyrocketed. The world owed him everything and his attitude reflected his mindset. He soon started to get what he was “owed.” He was fired from his job and couldn’t keep a single job afterward. He eventually wound up on the street begging for money where he finally got something for nothing.

 
His entitlement led him to a life of sadness. Why? He thought he should just get what he thought he deserved or was rightfully his because of his skills or abilities. The world would have gave him the things he wanted but he didn’t deserve them because he thought he was the best and in all actuality he was a mediocre worker with average talent.

 
The person who got the promotion was never handed anything. That person always worked for what she received. She knew she had to earn her way up. She wasn’t jaded by entitlement, if she were she’d never be open to correction. Entitlement blinds our ability to see our flaws. Take away someone’s entitlement, their ability to improve immediately increases.

 
The man from the story could have been the best if he would have understood that we need to earn what we want not be handed what we want. Circumstance always serves what we take. If we always see the negative, the wrong, the bad we will be unhappy. If we see the positive, the right, the good well you get the idea.

 
You see circumstance is a hypocrite because it’s good and bad. The only thing about it is we have to choose the good to receive it. There is always a positive and a negative to every single circumstance. Which do you see? If you choose to see the positive, you’ll form a habit of success and growth. The choice is yours.

be happy