“I’m just so frustrated with this current generation, they seem to Feel Entitled to what has taken me years to earn!” If someone would consider paying me a stipend each time this comment, or some version of it, is uttered during my generational presentations, I might be able to afford a nice trip to the mountains. Perhaps Feeling Entitled is a common attribute for members of specific generational categories; however, I’m being challenged to consider how often Feeling Entitled emerges as an unattractive character trait in my own life, and how I should respond when it raises its ugly head?

So, let’s unpack this Feeling Entitled concept, first from a generational perspective. More often than not, when a comment like the one above is expressed, it comes from a place of frustration, typically from a more seasoned adult referring to someone with a little less mileage on their Odometer Reading. Elmore and McPeak in their book Generation Z Unfiltered, share some of the common symptoms of Feeling Entitled that you might witness with students such as: “impatience (I want it now); laziness (I don’t want to work for it); comparison (I want it because everyone else has it); fragility (I want someone else to fix my problems); irresponsibility (I don’t want to clean up my messes); anger (I am mad that people won’t give me what I want); and disillusionment (I want someone else to make me happy).” Do any of these symptoms sound familiar to you?

Now, what if you alter the perspective slightly and replace the word students with the word yourself? “Some of the common symptoms of Feeling Entitled that you might witness in yourself include impatience, laziness, comparison, fragility, irresponsibility, anger, and disillusionment.” Oops…did you just experience some Stepped-On Toes? I know I did! How many recent examples could I provide from my own life for each one of these unattractive characteristics? What we have here is not a specific generational concern, but an issue of being human in a broken world. So, how do we break free from the shackles of Feeling Entitled? Perhaps, making a choice to cultivate the Habits of a Flourishing Life might be one avenue to explore.

As we are often reminded in Scripture, our Creator’s design is for all of us to have an abundant, or flourishing, life as we see in John 10:10; however, our struggle with gratitude often prevents us from experiencing a flourishing life and instead leaves us Feeling Entitled. The advice Elmore and McPeak offer applies not only to our guidance of Emerging Adults but can be applied to our personal cultivation of healthy habits as well. Focusing on bettering ourselves, serving others, and pursuing worthwhile goals all align well with the flourishing habits and “we might also get the chance to watch as the disappointment that often comes with entitlement evaporates into gratitude for the often-overlooked good things in life.”

Experiencing a heart of gratitude seems to be a challenging obstacle for me, and I assume to others as well, since my research seems to touch on this topic quite frequently, as shared in such posts as Attitude and Gratitude, Gratitude Gap, Weeds of Ingratitude, and Unexpressed Gratitude. Yet, here we are again, seeking ways to overcome this obstacle of entitlement within ourselves and in our guidance of those within our sphere of influence. Do I imagine Feeling Entitled will be erased from my character by tomorrow? Probably not! However, I do feel confident that if I engage in cultivating flourishing habits, my heart will be reoriented to a place of gratitude for all the amazing blessings evident in my life, and that should at least minimize the feelings of entitlement that tend to raise their ugly head each day.

In the comments below, please consider sharing a life experience that might help others to navigate the journey from Feeling Entitled to a heart of gratitude.

Reference:

Elmore, T. & McPeak, A. (2019). Generation Z Unfiltered: Facing Nine Hidden Challenges of the Most Anxious Population. Poet Gardner Publishing.