Sometimes I feel like all throughout my life I was lead by the media to believe I was going to be entitled.
When I was a little boy I used to watch Scrooge McDuck swim through his giant money bin full of cash.
When I was teenager I watched MTV’s The Real World and couldn’t wait to live in giant apartment with no job for 2-3 months.
When I was an adult house hunting shows made me think that living in a beautiful, luxurious $300K home was completely normal.
With messages like that, how is someone supposed to stay humble? By getting back to their roots every now and again. By serving those who need served.
Helping My Dad with Building His Deck:
The summer is not just a great time to be outside, but also a good time to get some work done. Recently my Dad called me up to give him a hand on the weekend with re-building his deck. One of my first jobs was to tear apart the old stairs and dig out some of the ground for the new stairs.
Here I am: A working professional, MBA, semi-wealthy grown man spending his weekend digging a big hole in the ground.
And you know what? THAT’S FINE!
I’m Still Just a Ditch-Digger:
That’s fine because no matter what happens to me in life, I’m still just a ditch-digger. (BTW – The term ditch-digger is something one of my colleagues at work always says and it has stuck with me over the years. Every time we evaluate our subordinates skills and find ones that are low, he always says “well, the world needs ditch-diggers too”)
I’m a ditch-digger in the sense that no matter who I am or how great I think I am, no one really cares. We’re all just really little fish in a big pond.
I’m a ditch-digger because I want to stay humble. I’m never going to be too good to help out my old’ Dad or do manual labor myself. And I hope that by doing it shows my own children that they will one day never be too good to help out me or their Mom.
In my career I’m a ditch-digger. Everyone has a boss, and what that boss wants that boss gets. You keep your job based on what you’re able to accomplish, not by what you know or how much you can do. However, NEVER confuse that statement to mean you should ever settle. If you feel like you’ve received a bad deal at work or could do much better someplace else, then go for it! I can be just as humble and productive working at Company B for twice as much as Company A. Never let anyone compromise your goals in life.
As a wanna-be entrepreneur and blogger I’m definitely a ditch-digger. It’s taken me three years to figure out all the details of how to consistently make an income of over a thousand dollars every month from my blogging. But I’ve done it and plan to keep on getting my hands dirty in the blogging-dirt until I figure out how to take it to five-figures every month.
Stay Humble:
Entitlement is a killer. It’s one of the single biggest problems I see with people both old and young every day. Everyone is too good for everything. There’s no point for them in staying humble. They’re too good to do the job the boss assigned to them. They’re too good to take an active interest in their family. They’re too good to grab a shovel and dig a hole in the yard.
That kind of attitude is harmful. It sabotages everything you work for. You think that everyone else should do your work because you don’t want to. You think you should be rich because you want to be. You think that you should have enough money to retire because you deserve it.
But why? What did you do exactly to deserve all those things? What makes you so special?
There is no one and nothing out there waiting to take care of you. There is no master plan or safety net that will catch you when you fall. Sometimes you just have to grab a shovel and dig your own hole in the ground. Sometimes you have to do it not just for yourself but for those you love.
Become who it is you want to be. Stay humble and take control of the reins. Sometimes you just have to depend on yourself to move mountains if you want something done. Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands, put the plan together yourself, and make it happen if you truly want it to. No one else is going to be digging your ditch for you.
Images courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank says
Ditch-digger, I like the term. I think staying humble after all will pay off later on but going beyond it without stepping on people’s shoes is something really I want to aim for. I make it happen! Thanks for encouraging your readers, I am one of them.
MMD says
So true. Keeping integrity no matter where you go or what you do in life is a hard lesson for people to learn.
writing2reality says
I think being humble is probably one of the more important aspects, especially when you’re in the role of a leader. When people see you aren’t telling them to do something that you wouldn’t do yourself, then they don’t feel inferior and are much more willing to be helpful. Additionally, being humble staves off the feelings of accomplishment that so often are followed by a drop in motivation and focus.
Pretty inspiring stuff here MMD!
MMD says
I agree. In a position of leadership this is an absolutely important quality to possess. A lot of times you have ask people to do things that you couldn’t do or do as good as they could, and your peers respect when you own up to that rather than play it off like you know everything.
John @ Frugal Rules says
Great thoughts here MMD! I think humility is one of the biggest overlooked traits in our society whereas entitlement is far too often seen. I know it’s easy to fall into that trap and know I’ve been guilty of it myself at times. Thanks for the reminder to not think too highly of ourselves – it’s something we all need to hear often.
MMD says
I hear you on falling into that same trap myself. There are plenty of times when I’m just being lazy and think to myself “Isn’t there some new guy that could be doing this”. Every now and again I have to remember that I’m not all that special myself and should probably just get whatever it is done.
Alexa says
I’ve never been one to feel entitled. I love the feeling of working for what you want and then achieving it. I think my family keeps me humble too. I come from a long line of entrepreneurs. My whole family has businesses but my Dad and my Grandma (was) are so down to earth.
In fact, I don’t think my dad cares about money at all. He’s not in the least bit materialistic and I think that was instilled in me as I grew up. He owns a couple stores. One that was recently passed down from my grandma and he works the gun counters. He doesn’t tell anyone that he owns the store because he hates ass kissers.
Now don’t get me wrong though. I’m not perfect I sometimes get a little pang of envy watching house hunters too lol. But I try my hardest to stay humble.
MMD says
It sounds like you’ve got a real streak of down-to-Earth work ethic in your blood. Perhaps maybe that will pay off for you with all your freelance and online income efforts.
Brian @ Luke1428 says
These are great words MMD! Nothing like a good pair of post hole diggers to make you appreciate humility. 🙂 I don’t ever want to get to the point where I feel I’m too good to help someone…especially family.
MMD says
Me neither Brian. It really helps to keep your place in life within perspective.
Kayla @ Red Debted Stepchild says
Great reminder. I think we are all guilty of being entitled/spoiled from time to time, but overall we should work to not be this way all the time. Good for you for getting your hands dirty and helping out your dad.
MMD says
There is nothing like a good-ole project around the house (or in this case a different family member’s house) to remind of just what hard work really is.
Glen @ How To Save Money says
I have noticed that more and more of my generation (particularly my friends) are all of this entitlement mentality, and it is actually stopping many of them from going out and doing great things for themselves. It’s all a bit depressing actually.
MMD says
I’ve noticed the same thing here among the people I talk to every day. A lot of them feel like they should have a high paying job, nice car, big house, etc. But for what? Just because you simply have a job? Because you graduated college? They forget that results are what makes a person actually worth something, not just title or accomplishments alone.
Kalen Bruce says
I love the term ditch digger, used like this. Thanks for reminding me to stay humble. I have to remind myself of that everyday and I still fail at it most of the time…I think we all do. The world needs everyone for a different purpose and that’s how God designed us. Great article!
MMD says
Thanks Kalen. I struggle with this topic a lot myself because I often slip into the mentality of “I don’t have to do this because its not fair”. I see younger associates or even my peers at work who don’t pull the weight as I do and I then proclaim “why should I have to do this if they don’t have to”? I then have to remind myself that that’s not the point. Regardless of what other people are doing, I can’t think of myself as too good to do something that I can do and do well.
EL @ Moneywatch101 says
This is a good analogy based on staying humble. This is why at times I hear people saying, I pay others to fix things in my house or mow the lawn, when they can just do it themselves. Its not always about the financial aspect of things, sometimes you just enjoy doing a task, rather than trying to make more income.
MMD says
That’s a really good point. A lot of the people I’ve hired to do jobs in my own house do what they do because they like to do it, not necessarily because of the money.
Kate @ Money Propeller says
Nice thoughts MMD! It’s really good to remember always that we need to be humble even if what achievements we already have and also, I really like the term ditch digger! 😉
MMD says
Thanks. It seems like a lot of people are really liking that phrase. Perhaps it will catch on in the personal finance community 🙂
Dion Lynk says
This journey has provided me many valuable lessons, and one of them thats more reoccurring than any is the humility lesson. When you’re working to build something out of nothing your heart can become slightly hardened as you understand that there’s no easy ANYTHING, and it takes EVERYTHING you’ve got to see the success you envision materialize.
Looking around and observing where you fit in the world, you can get a little proud at times, because you’ve come from a “theme park” of setbacks, failures and stalemates, but you still keep pushing for what you believe in, and you’re starting to watch it form. This is empowering for sure, but I never forget the pain of; the dead end jobs, the instability, depressive bouts and the hopeless feeling of ‘will it ever happen for me’. This is what keeps me pressing at an almost manic level.
Not taking myself too seriously and feeling entitled to success are difficult for sure, because what I’m building consumes me and permeates throughout my decision making. Its life and legacy, and finding a balance is something I’m working on perfecting much like the success I envision.
Jon @ Money Smart Guides says
While there are times I don’t enjoy doing “ditch-digging” work, but I know that it is part of life and needs to be done. Plus, the sense of accomplishment I get from completing a project is all worth the effort.
Dan says
Barely relevant trivia: Perhaps it even predates the movie, but the term (actually the entire line “the world needs ditch-diggers, too”) was in Caddyshack…….