One of my professors in school made up a word for the times that we feel we are owed something. She used to say we all walk around with a "deserve-o-meter". Naturally we feel like we deserve things, especially if we're putting in some sort of effort, time, and/or money.
If we see someone gaining a benefit that we aren't, we become a little entitled. We feel like we deserve not only what they are getting, but maybe even a little more.
For the record, it's not unreasonable to think you should be paid for a service, or that you should be given a quality service if you're paying for it. All of it makes sense. It's when we experience unmet expectations that we become less tolerant of the circumstance.
Someone screws up an order at a restaurant—I'm a paying customer, this isn't right. We work extremely hard only to watch someone else get a bonus—That isn't fair! We do countless things for other people—I feel under-appreciated.
The problem here is we have to leave room for mistakes, for humility, and for reality.
The entitlement mentality—feeling like you always deserve more—will leave you feeling bitter, unhappy, and ungrateful. You might take things for granted.
Entitlement and pride go hand in hand. When people feel like they are always more deserving, they usually also feel stubborn, unwilling to cooperate with potential compromise. It's their way or no way.
Feeling entitled to something happens to us all. We work hard. We train. We put thought and energy into things, pouring ourselves into passions. Of course we're going to expect some sort of return.
But we also have to try to not make the mistake in thinking that it's our world, and everyone else is living in it.
If you feel like you deserve more, don't you think someone else feels the same way?