For the last fifteen years, my husband and I have had weekly breakfast outings to our preferred taqueria. Most mornings our favorite table is available, but recently someone was occupying it. I found myself with a strong compulsion to scream “Get out. That’s mine!” When I mentioned this urge to my husband, he confessed that he, too, feels the same way.
Where did this sense of entitlement come from? Turns out that some feeling of entitlement can be a good thing. The conviction that we have the right to care for ourselves, to be respected, and not to be harmed is essential to our psychological well-being.
The problem comes when we fail to balance our need for self-respect with respect for others.
And what happens if we continue to feel entitled and act upon those feelings? We risk the loss of friends and business opportunities, thus becoming more miserable than ever.
This morning, when we went to the taqueria, one of the regulars was at our table. I glanced at his go-to spot and realized it was occupied. Without getting upset, we took our seat at the fallback table and enjoyed our meal without incident.
Have you recently fought off feelings of entitlement?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/experts/f-diane-barth-lcsw accessed April 19, 2019.
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