Another “sell-out” in the “pool of despair”

Another “sell-out” in the “pool of despair”

We are all familiar with the move from a stance of non-accountability (victim thinking) to the plane of Practicing Perfection (“Proactive Accountability).  Believing one is a victim strips a person of their own personal power to change. “I’m a victim so somebody else ought to fix things for me,” the path to continued despair.  The mantra of “Proactive Accountability” is what more can I do to rise above my circumstances and achieve the results I desire.

Recently I’ve noticed another mode of thinking that is just as dangerous as believing one is a “victim.”  It is entitlement thinking. Believing one is “entitled” to something is another cognitive defect that keeps people in the “pool of despair.”  Reflect on it for just a minute, if a person believes they are entitled to some perceived benefit, they expect something else or somebody else to deliver the entitlement to them.  They wait (often passively) and expect the “goodies” to be delivered.  It is similar to the victim stance in that a person gives up their own person power to make life better.  If Proactive Accountability moves us out of the victim stance perhaps we need a “Proactive Opportunity” to fix entitlement thinking.  The mantra of Proactive Opportunity might be what more can I do to rise above my circumstances and make the most of the opportunities I have.

Pay particular attention to the language used about either victim thinking or entitlement thinking.  If the language expressed is essentially “I am a victim or “I am entitled” a person has fallen into these cognitive defects. It has become part of their identity so they feel they cannot change it and the give up their personal power to change it.  Note that some people can be victimized without coming to believe they are victims just as some people may be entitled to some benefit without coming to believe they are entitled.