Entitlement

A few years ago I got a tattoo of Goku on my left shoulder. It took about 6 hours... He's my hero. Now you're basically asking yourself why would you ever get a cartoon character permanently tattooed on your shoulder?

He, unlike people, represents an infallible idea - the hero. But there's a twist to this character that some heroes fall short of.

While I was building my career (which I'm still doing now), and getting some momentum and confidence, I started falling into the trap of entitlement. I still fall into this mindset occasionally.

I am entitled to recognition for my work, promotions to something better, higher paying salary - and I see this every single day. See Goku, he goes above and beyond in everything that he does and expects nothing. He's gentle, almost to the point of docile and yet he's recognized as the greatest warrior out there. His friends depend upon him to save the world and he asks nothing in return. When I see myself starting to fall into this trap, that I 'deserve' this, and I am entitled to 'that', I look at this tattoo to check myself, to not let this thought process continue. Now the world is not as black and white as a cartoon character, but there is a happy medium. But striving to be better, to consider everything you have as a gift instead an entitlement makes me feel better. I strive to be this person within my career and within my life. All these things will eventually come, focusing on your values and your goals and achieving them with a little bit of humility is probably more important than the end result.