The Disease of Entitlement

A weekly post from my childhood to grown-up friend Carrie ~ 

sharing her awesome life and her desire to have community while doing it!

Happy TribeLife Tuesday! I hope these words find you well.

Today I want to share with you a pain I feel for a growing epidemic. This epidemic is spreading and there is an antidote but it seems as though many reject it. This epidemic is called Entitlement and it is a disease that can and will rot the soul of humanity.

Entitlement is the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment. It’s a dangerous disease and it is threatening the life of the overwhelming majority of our country. As I look back over our history as a nation (the USA, that is) the disease has seemed to grow the most over the last quarter century give or take a few years. This craving for recognition, acceptance by others above all else, unaddressed pain points from former generations, etc. are spreading this sickness.

There are real, inhumane, gross, tragic things have happened in our country and around the world. Things that no society should ever have to endure. But how can we acknowledge those injustices and move forward with hope and courage?

We wrestle- wrestle with the pain. It’s ok to be hurt and not have an answer to let pain take it’s course. It will heal over time. Next, we honor - we honor those who suffered. I have found one of the most effective ways to keep my view accurate view is Honor. It’s a beautifully humbling experience for the giver and delightful gift for the receiver. Lastly, we forgive- we forgive those who have inflicted pain on us whether directly or indirectly, because if we don’t we create the perfect breeding ground for entitlement. Practically this may not look like you reaching out to every person who has ever hurt and telling them you’re fine. This resolution is for you. Release them from your brain space and say it out loud. I forgive you __________ for _________. This is a powerful way to build your immune system against entitlement.

And then they’re are our VITAL, DAILY antidotes:

• Thankfulness for what you have and for the future
• Gratitude for who you have around 
• Kindness to strangers 
• Empathy for another
• Serving to someone who needs your help

These undoubtedly will keep this disease of entitlement at bay. 

We all carry the disease it’s a matter of how much of you, that you allow to be consumed. In our western culture we have been afforded a lot of opportunities and I personally can overlook that at times as a right. It’s not. It’s a gift to be treated as such. 

Tell us, what is one way you fight the disease of entitlement?


See you next week,

Carrie

This Custom Made Piece

A weekly post from my childhood to grown-up friend Carrie ~ 

sharing her awesome life and her desire to have community while doing it!

Happy TribeLife Tuesday! 

I am so excited to meet you here today. I have something delightful, brief, and challenging to share. 

Let’s start with this somewhat intimidating question. (Well, for some of you, it may not be intimidating—but it definitely was for me, for a long time.) It just so happens that I’ve reached a blip in time where this question has been clarified. More so than it has ever been.

I have always been a go-getter, and have had a pretty great work ethic (I think it’s genetic). But I have also consistently struggled with this question: What was I made for? 

While I can do a lot of things and have been content in each job and in each season, there always came this point. The point where the weight of continuing to do something that I knew I was not made for was overwhelming. Not in the "I’m too good for this" kind of way, but in the "there’s got to be more than this" kind of way. And now, I have to find it. The answer to this looming question.  

What was I made for? 

This question makes me think about custom, handcrafted pieces of furniture and art. The thing about these pieces is that they have a specific purpose. They were built for a specific reason—to fill a certain role or function. Be it furniture for a room or art for a wall, they are distinct and special. And it seems as though this analogy mirrors each of our beautiful lives. It is my belief that you and I are tailor-made to bring something specific to the world, and in the process of figuring this out, it is less about what we do and more about who we are becoming. 

And therein lies the vortex where the two converge: the WHO of you and the WHAT you do meet in the middle—which is what I assume the "sweet spot" is. 

The sweet spot is available for all of us. It’s more than accomplishment and praise for hard work or focus—it’s what you were made for. This sweet spot will look very different for each of us—so much so, that I will refrain from giving examples. But as the path begins to narrow, don’t be afraid, don’t look around, don’t compare—because custom pieces are made for a specific purpose and to fill a space that only it can. 

But I’ll give some practicals (because I’m a practical kind of human): Find people who compliment the direction your going—not “yes-ers" (people who will tell you yes to everything). Rather, surround yourself with those who challenge or push you to keep becoming. These are your people and you will quickly find that there are not a whole lot of them. Friends, yes, have all the friends. But those who have access to the "sweet spot" - the vortex - are very, very few. Why? Because it’s an intimate and valuable place. 

Before we go our separate ways, will you join me in a project? 

1 - Ask yourself… Set aside about 15 minutes and sit down with a pen and paper (you can use your phone or computer, I just find there are more opportunities for distraction when I go the technology route). Write, "What was I made for?” at the top of the page. For the next 15 minutes or so, write down everything that comes to your mind. Start with what you are good at, what you love doing, what makes you happy, etc. Write it all down. 

2 - Ask again. Call (or a face to face of sorts) the closest person to you and ask them what they think you were made for. When have they seen you the happiest? Don’t text or email—CALL. There is a human aspect to this exercise that gets lost otherwise, and this becomes a task. Allow this to be more than that. You are gathering blueprints for your custom-made, exquisite piece. 

3 - Share. If you decide to join me on this project I would love to hear how it went and what you discovered along the way. Post in the comments below or email me here. 

Cheers to discovery! 

Carrie