Entitlement is the archenemy of creativity, passion, and joy. When I read this recently, it was in the context of a woman whose parents moved her from an exclusive private prep school with every amenity imaginable, to a public school with little to nothing to offer this advanced student who was used to being academically challenged.

This author described the numerous extracurricular activities she was involved with at the prep school. Sports of all kinds, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, social clubs, student government, and a rigorous academic program that would prepare her fully for college.

The public school that her parents transferred her to because of convenience had, as she described it, lackluster academic standards, rampant drug use, racial tension, campus violence, and a total lack of civility. But there she was, dropped in the middle of this public school as a sophomore in high school.

My heart sank as I thought about this young woman having to not only move schools, but to move to a school that sounded so atrocious, not unlike many of the public schools in our society today.

Walk into some of our smaller schools and you can cut the apathy with a knife. In fact, that lack of pride, and expectation of the worst, is fed to the students on a daily basis by a staff that feels as unappreciated as the struggling administration trying to keep the doors open.

I read this author’s story further and found that instead of lowering to the standards of the school, she was able to rise above it and pull others up as well. She decided to stop with the entitlement mentality that nurtured her expectation that she deserved more because of her privilege, and instead she began to build programs that enriched the lives around her.

This was a place where she established a community of students who set goals and accomplished them. While she could have thrown herself a pity party, she hosted a leadership gala instead, where her peers could learn how to make a difference in their own communities.

The mindset of this young teenager is inspiring. To decide to make a difference in her little corner of the world instead of wallowing in her lonely, narcissistic state of being is something for all of us to emulate.

When we decide to get to work on making things better around us, what we can accomplish is nothing short of amazing. The creativity and passion we are born with are just waiting to be tapped into, and can provide the horsepower to achieve great things.

But it will never happen if we decide we are owed a successful life. You were created to work, earn, and enjoy – not sit and soak.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Melissa Hart may write to her in care of this publication.