The Mindset That Kills Gratitude (and How to Break It)

As leaders, we talk a lot about gratitude.
But there is one mindset that quietly kills it every time:

“I deserve this.”

It sounds harmless.
It even feels justified.
But entitlement is the dam that stops gratitude from flowing.

Because here is the truth:

Whatever you think you deserve, you will never be grateful for.

When I start believing I deserve breath in my lungs, a working car, a paycheck, a warm home, or another morning to open my eyes, gratitude dries up. Not because those things aren’t gifts, but because I start seeing them as wages I earned rather than grace I received.

And entitlement always suffocates gratitude.

But grace does the opposite.

Grace reminds me that everything I have is a gift.
Grace humbles my heart.
Grace reopens my eyes to the goodness of God in the mundane.

Gratitude grows in the soil of humility.

So this Thanksgiving season, here’s the challenge I’m giving you and I:

Put to death the “I deserve” mindset.
Choose gratitude over entitlement.
Choose stewardship over ownership.
Choose grace over earning.

Not because everything in life is easy, but because everything good in life is a gift.

Leadership flows from gratitude, and gratitude flows from grace.

Let’s lead from that place.

Happy Thanksgiving,

OC