Brian JohnsonChairman & Philosopher in Residence at Heroic

Entitlement: The #1 Obstacle to Gratitude (Heroic +1 #1,603)

17 Dec 2025 · 1 min

Episode

17 Dec 2025 · 1 min

0:00

A short spoken micro-chapter by Brian Johnson (Arete +1 series) identifying entitlement—the belief that the world owes you—as Robert Emmons' primary obstacle to gratitude, and presenting humility as the remedy. The piece frames the idea as a single, actionable insight intended to activate appreciation and reduce entitlement.

Chapters

Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Arete plus 1 degree micro chapter from Arete. Activate your heroic potential. Check it out. 451 potentially life changing ideas. Here's a simple one. Entitlement the number one obstacle to gratitude question what's the number one obstacle to gratitude? Answer According to Robert Emmons, the biggest obstacle to gratitude is a sense of entitlement. The belief that the world owes you something. And because you are entitled to all the awesome things in your life and deserve it all, there's no reason for you to feel grateful. The remedy to entitlement? Humility. The humble person appreciates the fact that life is a sacred gift. Do you.