Claim what you deserve - but only if you REALLY want it!

“Just because you deserve it doesn’t mean that you’re going to get it. Sometimes you’ve got to take what’s yours.”

I find this to be an alarming trend in South Africa today. People seem to think they deserve things just because of who they are (or think they are) or because of what they’ve done. Not to mention the legacy of Apartheid.

Of course you often feel that, because you’ve put in the hours, you deserve the result. Accept the fact that life is not always fair, and that the real world does not protect you from failure, loss, defeat, and other negative things school tried to shield you from. In fact, I have come across some schools that have done away with awards, prizes, races (the athletic kind) and trophies all together. The powers that be have decided that protecting the poor innocent children from the pain of defeat has more educational value than the determination, guts, perseverance and reward associated with victory and achievement.

Of course I'm sure these same educators spend their weekends cheering for their favourite sports team while swilling gallons of Lager.

In life there are winners and losers, there are those who have and those who don’t have. Deal with it. Don’t just deserve things – go out and claim them. Take them for yourself (legally of course)!