How to overcome entitlement mentality? 9 steps to get rid of entitlement mindset

If you have an entitlement mentality, it means you feel entitled to certain things without having to work for them. This can be damaging to your personal and professional relationships. Learn how to recognize and OVERCOME the pitfalls of an entitlement mentality.

Its easy to find many adults with entitlement mentality? But why do the most successful people still work hard? Or do the wealthiest people live below their income?

The more successful people get, they more they keep to their vision and work ethic.

What is meant by entitlement mentality?

Entitlement mentality meaning 

Here’s how i define entitlement mentality – “Entitlement” here is feeling the world owes you something, expecting a lot without necessarily earning it.

It’s entirely different from the “entitlement” synonymous with privilege. E.g. you are entitled to your basic human right and to your own autonomy.

What are the negative consequences of an Entitlement mentality?  

The feeling of “Entitlement” is a form of low personal responsibility that can breed:

Selfishness, Dishonesty, a life filled with Excuses, Laziness and Indiscipline.

If one thing is common, entitlement is indirectly proportional to how you win in life.

Selfishness

Also regarded as self-entitlement mentality.

The more entitled you feel, the more you’re always thinking of yourself.

How can I get this? How can I get that? Me! Hardly can you hear a person feeling entitled think of what they can give.

You’ll always feel the world owes you something. And every time, life doesn’t meet your high expectation, it’s now the “world hates me. No one cares about me.”

Until you get the point where you realize no one owes you nothing and the best way to you can influence the world is through your contribution, you may never become fully responsible.

Dishonesty

Feeling entitled & expecting everything to be fair can cause one to go their way to do anything just to feed their personal desires – and in the end cover it up if need be.  A life full of cover-ups would lead to more lies and dishonesty

Excuses

Excuses are justifications people make for not doing what they’re expected to do. More excuses, lead to more inaction. 

And people feeling entitled are better at giving excuses than taking action.

The biggest mistake you’ll make is to give the same excuses, over and over again that you’re known for your excuses.

No one would believe any more word from you.

Laziness and complete risk aversion: 

Feeling entitled can breed laziness. When you feel entitled towards your goals; you’ll gear towards comfort than taking any form of risk.

It’s easier to binge on Netflix than read a book, watch funny videos than go through a course.

Fact is you’re only successful when you keep learning & applying not by complaining & dishing out more excuses.

Entitlement can wreck your health.

You probably didn’t see this coming. Maybe you least expected it, but the best way to improve your health is to take more personal responsibility.

It applies especially to your dietary choices, physical activity & sleep routines. These are the things people can give you advise, provide professional help but no one can do for you yet contribute a large chunk to your physical and mental health.

When you feel entitled to having good health; you’ll be quick to dismiss the role personal responsibility plays to how you feel. 

You don’t want to get to a stage where you get so out of touch with your body & the food you eat daily is messing up your world; yet you have no clue.

“Oh it runs in my family”

There’s nothing I can really do about it.”

Quit thinking this way. Yes you may have zero control over your genetics. But your lifestyle choices especially your diet, physical & mental fitness lies 100% within your control.

So what’s on the other side of Entitlement mentality – its the mindset of overcoming entitlement.

Learn how to deal with entitlement mentality.

9 ways to overcome entitlement mentality 

1) Be a Giver

The more entitled you feel about life the more you only want to receive.

The best way to receive is to give. .

Generosity is great and attractive but Entitlement is bad. It’s a form of low sense of personal responsibility.

You can’t build high-quality, long term relationships on entitlements.

Look for ways to add value to other people’s lives and contribute meaningfully even when you won’t be fully rewarded.

2) Practice gratitude & Complain less 

Have you ever met people you put a whole lot of effort for and instead of saying “thank you” first, they ask you why X and Y is not complete?

The key is to move from Entitlement to Gratitude. A simple shift in perspective that can change everything.

A sense of entitlement often comes from a feeling of dissatisfaction with what one has. Practicing gratitude can help shift your focus from what you don’t have to what you do have and help reduce feelings of ungratefulness which can lead to entitlement.

Gratitude is how you heal old wounds, improve relationships, minimize complaining and a door way to more opportunities. 

Stop sleeping on gratitude … practice gratitude daily.

3) Put in the Effort 

Put in the work required to produce results by taking action daily.

People with an entitlement mentality often expect things to be handed to them without having to put in any effort.

Putting in extra effort, even when it’s not required, can help you overcome this mindset.

4) Practice Self-Discipline

Self-Discipline is the first step to taking ownership in life. Discipline is the tool you use to solve problems in life.

And according to Scott Perck in The Road Less Travelled, there are four tools of discipline: delaying of gratification, acceptance of responsibility, dedication to truth, and balancing.

None of the tools mentioned above can take place when you feel entitled to life but are best us ed when you take full responsibility.

5) Complain less

Make an effort to complain less. Of course Gratitude is the antidote but be conscious of your complain habit.

Complaining doesn’t solve problems. It doesn’t build strategy or even encourage others. People can learn to avoid you if you’re always complaining.

If you spend your time focusing on the things that are wrong, and that’s what you express and project to people you know, you don’t become a source of growth for people, you become a source of destruction for people.

That draws more destruction. More significantly, complaining leads to less self-awareness.

6) Give up the struggle for control

Most people dealing with entitlement mentality have power/control issues to deal with.

Surrendering can lead to true freedom from entitlement thinking

7) Avoid comparing yourself with others

Comparing yourself to others is a surefire way to breed resentment and discontentment.

X did this …so i must do that to look cool.

If you find yourself comparing your life favorably or unfavorably to others’, remind yourself that everyone’s journey is unique.

8) Get comfortable with being uncomfortable 

Remember, learn any skill you wish with few hours of focused work daily with hardwork and focused action without depending on luck, favours or handouts.

Its possible to toxic habits such as smoking, porn, booze or a job you hate or porn; with just a little dedication and learning to say no.

Associate with people that take you towards your goals.

You can do anything you wish if you set your mind to it.

Choose courage over comfort.

9) Lead with love and kindness

Sometimes the simplest remedy to any feeling of entitlement is just to learn to love again.

How would you act if you love yourself?

Be kind to yourself and others.

“Nice is weak, superficial an enabling. Nice goes along to get along.

Kind is having the strength to say the hard things to someone out of love for them. It is confrontational. It takes courage. Be kind.”

Benefits of Overcoming Entitlement mentality 

1) Purpose

On the other side of entitlement, purpose exists. The richest people still work because money was not the only motivation behind the work.

Success gets to a level where work is now a choice, rather than a need. So they cling to their purpose and keep delivering value.

2) Better health 

The idea that everything about your health is genetic and you have zero control is flawed.

Worse is the notion that we’ll all gon die someday, so enjoy life to the fullest. Enjoying life does not in any way mean doing things that you know are wrecking your health.

Create an environment that supports your fitness goals – don’t keep junk food in your house.

3) Success in life

Overcoming entitlement mentality is key to happiness and leading a successful life.

You attract more opportunities and possibilities once you eliminate entitlement mentality that does not serve you.

CONCLUSION 

Entitlement mentality makes one always give excuses and justifications to why they should get certain things instead of earning them. Once you overcome entitlement mentality, you start to regain trust from people and take action that take you closer to your goals.

People tolerate this to a certain point till they realize you’re better at giving excuses than results.

If you want to change your life for good; flip that – minimize your excuses and focus on the steps that you can take that would yield results.

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