No, actually you don't. I don't know who started this fallacy, but it needs to be banished from the English language.
I'm sure you think you work hard. We all do! But you know who works hard? The guys who dug up your diamonds at gun point. Those guys DESERVE IT!
Anybody who is deeply in debt doesn't really deserve anything other than the essentials in life. You deserve to pay it off and then be free from the bondage of debt. If you work hard, and you think you deserve it. Tell yourself that you deserve freedom, not some more empty possessions that hold you in bondage.
My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.
—Steve Jobs