Earn It

My little brother is a non-commissioned officer in the US Army.  I am very proud of him and his service to our country.  While he was deployed to Iraq, I searched on the internet to find a gift, a hat, a cool t-shirt, something that I could send to him to let him know his service is appreciated.  During my search, I stumbled across Rangerup.com, a small company that makes “shirts for the military and the patriotic Americans who love the men and women of the Armed Forces. The guys that own this company either were or are still in the military.”

I went to their website recently and found a t-shirt (http://www.rangerup.com/earnit.html) with, “Contrary to popular opinion, no one owes you anything” printed on the front. On the back is printed, ‘Earn it.”  There is a commentary on the same webpage about entitlement and the spread of “entitlement disease”.

The commentary states:

“The occupy movement is a group of people who believe they deserve more - more opportunity, more money, more benefits, more whatever. They believe that life isn't fair.

They are right. It never will be and it never has been.”

The writer goes on to state several methods to achieve what you want out of life. One is, obviously, to work hard. Another is to start a business.  He further writes, “Some people who work harder than you do will never achieve your level of success and some people that work markedly less hard will blow you out of the water. And that will always be true because life isn't fair, people have different skill-sets, and luck plays a huge role in life.” 

He’s absolutely right.  Eddie Van Halen has probably made a bazillion dollars playing guitar.  I’ve never made a cent and probably never will.  Is that fair?  It would be nice to get paid that kind of money, but the fact of the matter is I do not have the same talent nor have I practiced as much as he has.  So to think it’s unfair is an exercise in lunacy.

The writer begins his final paragraph by saying, “But what I can tell you is that you have to take responsibility for your life or you will become, and remain, a loser. Every success and every failure has to be yours.”

We hear a lot about fairness and what is or is not fair. There are a lot of people demanding unwarranted or unearned advantages or benefits.  And it’s a lot easier to blame someone or something instead of accepting responsibility.    You have talents. How you apply your talents and how much effort you put into them are your choice.  Maybe they aren't in the areas that bring wealth and fame, but they lay a foundation for success.  Life is and never will be fair.  But, it is your life and how you spend it is your choice.