Advice

Last night I told Leah:

"Don't act like you deserve it; act like you will earn it."

The generation we're raising is sometimes described as one that feels entitled. The characterization is that our children grew up with parents telling them:

You can do anything you want, if you put your mind to it.

and for some reason a good portion of the kids stopped listening (or parents stopped talking) when they reached the word "want."

It's my hope, of course, that my children heard and listened to the entire message.

Still, sometimes each one of us falls into the trap of thinking the world owes us something. It's easy to do, in this culture of plenty. The danger is that we'll be thinking this way when something really important is within our grasp, if only we'd work hard enough at the grasping.

I saw a quote recently. It's from Bobby Knight.

"The key is not the 'will to win' . . . everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important."
Bobby Knight

This was the point I was trying to get across to Leah. We need to know that our attitude matters, and that preparation and hard work are part of our attitude. If we act as if we deserve something, and then think we will get it without working for it, we have lost -- whether we get the "something" or not. Further, I believe that when people sense in us an attitude of entitlement, they are far less inclined to believe we deserve what we want.

If, instead, they see in our attitude that we will appreciate what we receive by committing to the hard work of nurturing it and protecting it, people are much more inclined to entrust us with it.

Go for it, Leah. Just do it with humility, enthusiasm and respect. You'll do just fine.