Welcome to The Simplify Your Life Podcast, where we talk about how to create a life you won’t need an escape from! I’m Coach Simona, author of the book “111 Ways to Simplify Your Life”, and I’m glad you decided to tune in!
Now before we get into my 6 practical tips on how to overcome sense of entitlement, let’s talk about what sense of entitlement actually is: Sense of entitlement is a personality trait based on the belief that someone deserves special treatment or recognition for something they didn't earn. For example, someone who thinks the rules don’t apply to them or like the world owes them something without actually putting in the effort to earn it.
Here's another example: accepting favors from people, but not giving back anything in return when they ask for your help. Entitlement mentality can show up in different aspects of your life, from your personal relationships to your career and professional success. People with this mindset often demand excessive attention, expect special treatment, and lack accountability for their actions.
Now that we have a basic understanding of what a sense of entitlement is, let's explore how it can be recognized and, more importantly, how to overcome it. My first tip is to Develop self-awareness The first step in overcoming sense of entitlement is becoming aware of the exact time it shows up in your life. Take time to reflect on your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Pay attention to the moments when you feel entitled or have unrealistic expectations. Ask yourself why you feel this way.
For example, next time you feel like someone owes you something, ask yourself: "Why?" until you get to the root cause. Sometimes it takes a while before we can peel down the layers of resistance and get to the real issue, that’s why it’s important to detach yourself from your inner monologue and truly listen. Which actually brings me to my second tip which is to Question everything This is a fun little exercise that I took from The Self-Love Toolkit (but more on that later.)
This exercise is as simple as it sounds. From now on, I want you to question absolutely everything you think about yourself: every belief, every mean comment, every bad inner voice that you hear. By questioning everything, we’ll start to spot the difference between the healthy, helpful, realistic beliefs we have about ourselves, and the toxic beliefs that we adopted from society, our families, and teachers. So how can we do that? Well, the first thing we need to do is become aware of
the thoughts that are going through our minds on a daily basis. The most repetitive negative ones are the ones that form our negative beliefs about ourselves. Sense of entitlement is a twisted negative belief, meaning it seems like it’s serving you and you feel like you’re better than other people, but it actually makes you delusional and may often alienate you from others. Here’s how to how to question your entitlement mentality so you can take its power away.
You can start journaling by using the following questions: 1. Is this a fact? 2. Who is the first person I can think of who made me feel this way? 3. How is this belief currently showing up in my life? 4. What is it preventing me from doing? 5. How can I show more humility, grace, and compassion instead? As I briefly mentioned, this is just one of the exercises in The Self-Love Toolkit, which is my proven step-by-step framework that will helo you love yourself unconditionally.
If you want to learn more, head over to: www.theselflovetoolkit.com My next tip on how to overcome sense of entitlement is to Practice gratitude Taking care of your mind is directly linked to what you feed it with on a regular basis. If you’re watching too much TV, or filling your mind with endless drama from scrolling social media or the news, your mind will be overloaded with unnecessary information, and you’ll probably
live in a constant state of comparison and entitlement. And we don’t want that. So onel way to overcome sense of entitlement is to write down three things that you’re grateful for every single day.
Although practicing gratitude at any time has countless benefits for your mental health and wellbeing, I personally recommend trying it out in the evening, right before going to bed, because it will help reprogram your subconscious mind to focus on feeling good, being grateful and open to new possibilities. Tip number 4 is to Take radical responsibility for your actions Taking radical responsibility for your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors is the antidote to feeling
entitled. When you take responsibility for your actions, you will stop giving your power away and you won’t rely on others to “owe” you anything or give you external validation or approval. A great way to start taking responsibility is to stop blaming other people or the circumstances when things don’t go your way. Accept reality for what it is, without resisting it. By dong that, you will achieve two very important outcomes: 1. You will stop expecting anything in return
2. You will get one step closer to overcoming your sense of entitlement When you take radical responsibility for your life, you will also prove to yourself that you’re someone who can be trusted. You will begin relying on your words more and you’ll expect better outcomes without needing others to validate your experience. My next tip is to Earn something the hard way If you struggle with sense of entitlement, chances are you’ve always found a way to get
your needs met with the help of other people, not just by relying on yourself. When you work hard for something, you appreciate it more than when it’s just a handout from other people. Let me ask you a blunt question: who is going to appreciate the value of money more: the person who put in the work to get their business off the ground or the one living off their trust fund money and never having to lift a finger their entire life?
The first one, of course. The more blood, sweat, and tears you put into earning something, the sweeter it’s going to feel in the end. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t easily achieve things, it just means that if you want to overcome sense of entitlement, you need to actually put in the work so you can appreciate the outcome. Which actually brings me to my next point which is to:
6. Give without expecting anything in return By shifting the focus from what you can get from others to what you can give, you will find that life is much more pleasurable and fun when you open your heart to generosity and kindness. Think of a way you can contribute to the world, wholeheartedly, anonymously, for example help a homeless person, volunteer at your local community, adopt a pet, etc. Stop focusing so much on what the world around you owes you.
The truth is that no one owes you anything. And the sooner you realize it, the better. Nothing compares to the sense of freedom and lightness you’re going to feel in your heart the moment you let go of your expectations and simply learn to enjoy life for what it is. Stay humble, be gracious and kind, give more than you can get. And if you find yourself too critical of others, make sure to check out episode 143 next. I will leave a link below.
Thanks so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this podcast episode, please like it, subscribe, and I will see you in the next one.