Auntie Adage #4 Are You A Squeaky Wheel of Demanding Entitlement?

The entire saying is: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. This means that the one who squawks the loudest and makes the biggest fuss, will get what they want.

You know, there are times when you need to stand up for yourself and pursue your rightful due, but when it becomes ingrained in who you are, there’s a problem.

If you’ve found yourself in a situation where you’re being treated unfairly by a company, for example, then you must speak up and be heard.

That’s important.

There are places, people, and circumstances that can, and will, take advantage of you if don’t question their actions.

Life sometimes presents different challenges where a choice is required. This is a part of life and a reality faced by many.

What does the adage really mean?

Think of it this way…

You have a wagon with four wheels and they all work fine. Until one day, one begins to squeak and squeal as you pull the wagon forward.

The noise and irritation gets louder and more insistent.

It’s evident that the squeaky wheel needs to be greased. But, what about the other three? Should they not be taken into consideration and be given some love too? or Do they get ignored simply because they didn’t squeak?

Sadly, the other three will probably be left out of the maintenance (aka: the nice ooey gooey oil–yummy) and will have to develop their own squeak to get the attention. When you turn this adage or saying to reflect on people, it can reflect an ugliness, rudeness, and is oh so, unattractive.

Don’t become that squeaky wheel unless it’s a specific issue to which you’re not getting attention or action–and remember you shouldn’t need to yell and scream in order to get moving forward on what’s bugging you.

That squeaky wheel may get a lot of attention, but it can also end up on the end of resentment too.

Think of a Toddler and How They Act…

Little kids with no filters will say and do what they want, when they want, and often feel like they’re entitled to every little thing they want because the world is theirs, and their’s alone.

They’ll thrown themselves on the floor to kick and scream. Unabashed by the tsk’ing tongues, the stares, or the blatant judgment of those who pass, they continue on until they get what they want or are dragged out of the area to be put in isolation/time-out.

The parents are not to blame, as they stand by, embarrassed and sometimes mortified at their youngsters behaviour. They know that if they give in, the scene will probably calm and settle, but it’s like feeding a monster.

If you, as an adult, act like that little kid and people give into you–well, you’ve become a monster.

A monster of expectation and selfishness. A Karen. A Ken. A person who make others cringe at the abrasive nature with how they treat others.

You’re willing to do anything, at any cost, to get what you want.

Hard Work and Dedication Will Take You Far, but Then There’s Always the Squeaky Wheel–and Believe me, it’s Not Attractive.

Do you know what you want? Have you made a list? What are you willing to do to achieve your goals? Remember goals need a time line otherwise it’s just a dream. You can read more about goals HERE.

For some who are lost in the quagmire of indecision, it can be difficult to chose or define goals, but it really is imperative to moving forward. A goal doesn’t have to be some far reaching thing in the sky.

Start small.

Maybe your first goal is simply to get a job and save $100. That’ cool. You can then redefine the goal and start making strides toward getting what you want.

If you make a choice not to do the work but just make demands at every juncture, well, you’re defeating yourself.

Hard Work and Dedication

Once your goals are defined, then it’s time to take steps to work toward them.

Things like training, education, and garnering experience are essential to your accomplishments. Keeping your head in the game and not caving.

The squeaky wheel may get the grease as they lose respect of their peers.

I get it. I really do.

I think the idea of the squeaky wheel is one that we all have to keep in the back of our mind. If you have to yell and scream after doing your due diligence, I understand. It’s where it become an entitlement behaviour where it raises eyebrows.

If you’re acting like a squeaky wheel…all the time… you will lose the respect of others. They’ll see you as simply always bitching away, used to getting your way, and taking things away from others who don’t squawk at every turn.

So What You Gonna Do?

Grow up. Move on. Stop being a Jerk. Manners go a long way.

Auntie Lesson.

The adage of the squeaky wheel gets the grease is a companion to you attract more bees with honey than vinegar, but one is much more mature, friendly, and nicer to be around. Stop and think about whether or not your behaviour is reflective of that two years old who’s thrown themselves on the floor in the toy department.

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