Entitlement & deserving it (a passing thought).

Oxford Dictionary defines 'entitlement' as the fact of having a right to something. The issue is when people forget to add a piece of reality to that definition: the fact of having a right to something - adding my take based on circumstances where I often hear the word - without deserving it. To put it in simpler words: You think you deserve something, but truthfully, you don't. This seems obvious, but sadly, many people teach it but don't preach it. We may tell others that you need to do X to deserve something in life. But is that the case? Well, doing solely X isn't enough. Reframing it a little, a more accurate saying would be: Doing X better than the person next to you. Better? Not yet, it still falls short. Assume that everyone wants to become a top executive in a corporation. Realistically, only 0,05% (hypothetically) will achieve it because of limited spots. 

Despite growing up feeling that the world is entitled to us, the world doesn't owe us anything. Sometimes we get what we deserve, and sometimes it doesn't matter how much we deserve it, you may hit a reality wall that may challenge this idea. In this other spectrum, the small percentage of things where this rule doesn't apply isn't as negative as you may think. This 'dark place' that contradicts this rule exists because of adversity, uncertainty, luck, or whatever esoteric term you may want to attribute it. The only approach to this 'dark place' of deservingness is a 50/50: 50% that it may be overcome by putting in some extra effort or 50% that it's impossible because of circumstances outside of your control. Does the latter depress you? It shouldn't. It still states an optimistic premise: Almost everything can be accomplished if deserved (i.e., worked for it). 

Moreover, you don't ought to compare yourself with others, you must build your own way. Some people got lucky and get into a place with ease, but this isn't exactly the superior meaning of joy. The superior type of joy is when one with his own strength, stamina, and mindset overcomes whatever obstacles steps in his way and reaches a point where he can look back and proudly say that he overcame adversity. Financial success is a far cry from this philosophical win that happens inside one's spirit. The final accomplishment is looking around you and feeling a sense of pride on how far you got in your path and having the opportunity of passing wisdom to those surrounding you. In other words, the most supreme type of joy is overcoming challenges and enriching one's character after those experiences, and not simply accumulating matter. 

Some people scream out of their lungs that they deserve something, but they don't. Otherwise, they would have already gotten it.