"Old" Values..?

I was born on the cusp of "Beaver Cleaver" and "Mary Tyler Moore".

I come from the generation of cooling off during the summer was a run through your back yard sprinkler, speed was how fast your strapped-on metal roller-skates would go before you performed an epic face plant, and telephones hung on the wall with corkscrew cords that at first look like Shirley Temple’s hair but soon resembled a bad, grown-out perm. If you’re old enough, you know the look. Stretching that puppy was the only way you could maybe, just maybe, get some privacy while babbling to your friends. I also grew up in a time that someone’s word meant something, hard work was expected - not necessarily rewarded, and selflessness was righteous. According to these ideals, I’m a good person.

Keeping all of that in mind, I worked hard and fought for everything I got. And for whatever reason, I still periodically feel “not enough”. But as I’ve gotten older, I have started to recognize a shift in the reality of things. Hard work and sacrifice isn’t what it’s all cracked up to be. Why do I have to work so hard to feel worthy of the good things in life? Who made up that rule? Some people just wake up and all that's good is handed to them. Clearly, I have never been one of those people. Don't get me wrong, I am blessed more than most in so many ways to mention here. However, I have never been the "lottery" or "raffle" winner type. C'mon, you know the type...they exist to win every toss of the dice or bingo game.

Since I'm not THAT type, I have learned to be extremely resourceful, thankful and grateful. I have adopted the work smarter, not harder approach. And I’m still trying to digest the fact that I “deserve” all the good that life has to offer, not because I stumbled on the cure for cancer, but because I live and breathe. I have come to believe that the word "deserve" is an odd word and can sometimes be cruel.

So, are the values that were instilled in me while growing up wrong? Or were they simply a product of generation and cultural beliefs at the time? Maybe part of it is a female thing. I was born on the cusp of “Beaver Cleaver” heading towards “Mary Tyler Moore”. I was always told, “you can be anything you want”. Knowing I was only being told that because I was a girl. Hmmm… I’m know there is no good or even one answer here. I think it comes down to taking responsibility for your own choices, good and bad. Hopefully, if we understand why we make the choices we do, maybe we can avoid future mistakes. Or maybe it’s just a fruitless use of time?