How often have these thoughts run through your mind? It’s not fair. I don’t deserve this. They owe me. Why shouldn’t I have that? Everyone else seems to get what they want – why not me?
Most of us will remember thinking like this from time to time, but if you are forever feeling resentful and bitter, and you find yourself blaming others for your unhappiness and you often feel like a victim, then you may well have a sense of entitlement. Don’t worry, you’re not alone and it can be reversed.
A sense of entitlement is the belief that you deserve something without necessarily putting in the effort to get it. A narcissist has an extreme version of the affliction. Some adolescents act as if they have a divine right to the best of everything because their parents feel guilty and inadequate if they can’t give their kids what their friends have.
People with a sense of entitlement are rarely happy. They are forever feeling let down or hard done by. They are dependent on others for their own happiness.
If you identify with the notion of having a sense of entitlement:
- Be grateful for what you have – rather than focusing on what others have
- Practice altruism – helping others increases our own level of happiness
- Make the most of any opportunity that comes your way – life is what we make of it
- Set goals and slowly work towards them – enjoy the sense of accomplishment that follows
- Teach your children that life isn’t always fair
