When generous, she gave a look that told a lesson,
taught me how to read the world in what goes unsaid.
Kyrsten Hill, A White Man in the Audience Said I Owed Him
The System doesn’t owe you anything. Odds are the system is actually working its hardest against you. So, do the work until you get what you want
We all have the feeling we are owed something from time to time. We have worked hard, struggled and put in the time. Maybe it feels like you have done the work. Maybe it feels like it is time. Maybe it feels like we are owed a reward for our efforts.
Sadly, life doesn’t work that way. Even if you have been explicitly told that you are owed, don’t count on it. Things change. Surprises happen. Entitlement hurts hopes.
Do the work to get what you want. Keep pushing and working to remind yourself and others that you deserve it. Success comes from your efforts or dumb luck. The best way to have luck is for it to ‘find you working’ to paraphrase.
It’s never time. Keep working.
I stood in a crowded street that was live with people,
and no one spoke a word, and the morning shone.
Everyone silent, moving. . . . Take my hand. Speak to me.
Mariel Rukeyser, Effort at Speech Between Two People
