I deserve better! I deserve (insert any wish)!
Today, we have become so complacent in our thinking that we do not take the trouble to make a just self-examination, which would cause us to deemphasize “deserve” and instead emphasize “earn”. So, instead of the declarative statement, “I deserve…”, it becomes a question, “how can I earn…?”
The right to deserve is based only on the effort and sacrifice made to earn it! Hence, we do not deserve anything until we have made the right effort to earn it, so we deserve only what we experience.
“I deserve to be happy.” Well, do we keep our thoughts pure, mind clear, and the soul focused on a luminous goal? Do we serve our neighbor with our being? Are we uplifting and kind? Do we avoid anything that can harm others and ourself? Are spiritual values the highest priority in our lives?
If not, we only “wish” happiness, but do not “deserve” it, because we have not made the right effort to earn it! We are only reaping what we sow.
The same principle applies to everything in life: relationships, jobs, conditions etc.
The triune of deservedness is as follows: wish—effort—earn. Hence, we should set aside notions of deservedness, and instead ask: what effort do I need to make to earn it?
~Ikenna Q. Ezealah
Foundation for Ascent 