Remember the Seinfeld episode where Izzy Mandelbaum told Jerry Seinfeld, “You think you’re better than me?” Here’s the link to the video.

It came to me this morning while thinking about an experience I had yesterday at the dentist. It was a new dentist to me as I had only seen him once before. I felt like I was disrespected somehow. His words and mannerisms said that he thought he was better than me. It fired me up last night thinking about the interaction. Of course, I didn’t act upon it at the time. No, no, no, my brain needs time to marinate on an experience, and then the emotions come out. SMH, with my hand on my forehead. Note to self: must change that behavior quickly.

Seriously, I know many of us have dealt with someone who thought they were better than us. I certainly have had plenty of interactions with people where I could sense they think they’re better than me! It happens mostly with doctors, lawyers, and business owners for me, but I’ve had friends and associates act that way, too. And true to my form, I think about it and out pops a blog idea. 🙂

Why are some people under the illusion they are better than someone else? Would, say, a lawyer act the same way with a peer as they would act with a client? It’s a competitive career choice, so probably.

Okay, so education makes someone think they are better than someone else? Well, I have a graduate degree, one year less than law school, and I don’t think I’m better than anyone. So I don’t think it’s education.

What about money? Does having a lot of money give some people the idea they are better than others? Sure, that could be it, but I think it goes deeper.

Maybe people who act like they are better than someone else are insecure. Since our personality is developed from ages 0 to six years old, perhaps the messaging we learn as a child creates arrogance or being a pompous ass. Wait, I’m sometimes insecure and I don’t treat people like I think I’m better than them.

What makes someone believe they are better than someone else? Well, it is possible to believe we’re better than someone in a healthy-thinking way, like if I’m eating well today and another person is eating junk food. I could think I’m doing a better job fueling my body with good stuff. Am I arrogant? No, I’m simply stating a fact with no superiority complex at all.

So, then, what makes it wrong when someone thinks they are better than someone else? It boils down to whether or not they give respect and appreciation. Having respect and appreciation for another person can be the difference between being kind and being a jerk.

Those who met the late Ronnie James Dio from bands like Black Sabbath and Rainbow said he was the nicest guy and treated everyone he met with respect. Ronnie could have thought he was better than his fans and been a jerk, but he wasn’t. He appreciated his fans and knew they were what made him what he was – a rock star.

You’d think doctors, lawyers, and business owners would be respectful and appreciative of the people who essentially help them acquire the money they have. But money and power can lead to arrogance and foolish behavior, such as thinking oneself better than others and treating people with disrespect.

Bottom line: pay attention to how you think about and treat people. Check to see if you think you’re better than someone else. If you are, ask yourself why.

Thank you for reading, and again, I hope I offered something good to think about.

Here’s a free personality test. I did it. It’s easy and seems pretty accurate.

To respect and appreciation,

Francesca