Entitled or Deserving?

One definition of entitlement is: belief that one is deserving of or entitled to certain privileges.

When you begin to think in terms of  "I'm entitled to... " These type of phrases come to mind:

I have the right to... I deserve to.... My boss must... The government owes me...

Entitlement is based on "By law, this is my right."

Deserving is a completely different term.

One definition of deserving reads: Worthy of being treated in a particular way.

When you begin to think in terms of "I'm worthy of..." These type of phrases come to mind:

I am worth it... I am valuable... I expect the best.. I accept only the best treatment from others.

I want you to read the phrases connected with entitlement again. How do you feel when you read them?

I feel almost angry. Each phrase brings a harshness and a negative feeling with it.

How about when you read the phrases connected with deserving?

There's a softness in my heart when I read those words. They bring good, positive feelings

That's the key to the difference between entitlement and deserving. When we begin to feel entitled, we bring negative feelings into ourselves. When we focus on being deserving, we attract positive feelings.

What's so bad about negative feeling? They don't feel good. I know that sounds so simplistic it's almost stupid, but think about it for a moment. Do you want to feel good or do you want to feel bad?

If you want to feel bad, keep focusing on being entitled and all the negative energy that brings into your life.

If you want to feel good, focus on being deserving and all the positive energy that brings into your life.

I for one intend to focus on being deserving because when I feel I'm worth it, I'm valuable and I expect the best in my life, the best shows up.

Mari
Mari Mitchell Porter, CPC
http://lifecoachmari.com/