Growing up, youâre taught that being selfish is a bad thing.
âShare your toys, Tommy, or thatâs a time-out for you!â
When youâre an adult, maybe with the exception of your boss, no one tells you anything. Youâre in total control of your life. Sure, there are a few basic guidelines to follow so that you stay out of jail, off the streets, and above ground, but otherwise, good luck, buddy, youâre on your own!
The natural inclination is to lean on the guidance you were given when growing up, i.e. that being selfish is bad. But in this case, Iâve learned that the opposite is true more times than not.
Itâs OK to be selfish. In fact, itâs really good for you, as long as you do it right.
Youâve probably had a friend (or maybe even yourself) whoâs been in a relationship that was extremely one-sided. Youâve seen them time and again put their happiness on the backburner in favor of their partnerâs. Some people will go to incredible lengths to ensure their partner, friends, family, or whoever is happy. Even if they succeed, it takes a great sacrifice of their own well-being.
Think about the husband who only has a good day if everything is perfect for his wife. Or the engineer who busts her ass at work, making sure her boss is always pleased with this monthâs results.
I get it. Itâs easy to get caught up in life. Days and weeks go by as you constantly spend your time pleasing others, working to their agendas, and leaving your own needs as an afterthought.
But sooner or later, it catches up to you. It sure did for me.
I spent so much time dealing with everybody elseâs problems that I completely neglected my own. As my body began to physically and mentally collapse, it became impossible to meet my basic needs, let alone everyone elseâs.
Did these people who took advantage of me for so long care? No. And honestly, I couldnât be mad at them. I mean, I could be mad at them, but I realized that in some sense they were just smarter than me. They were better at being selfish. Yeah, they were kind of assholes about it, but part of them had it figured out.
My life did a full 180 when I began putting my own needs before those of others. Kind of like those airplane safety messages that say âalways be sure to secure your own oxygen mask before assisting others.â
You canât help anyone if youâre suffocating from your own lack of oxygen.
Itâs OK to be selfish. In fact, you should learn how to be selfish and practice it daily. When you do this:
Once you put your own oxygen mask on, then you can help others. And when you do, you realize that youâre in a much better place to help them than you ever were before.
What are some ways you can practice being selfish?
You could:
At the end of the day, there are lots of ways that you can practice being selfish, some obviously much more intense than others. What worked best for me was starting with health and branching out from there.
I think youâll be pretty amazed at how much your life improves once you start being more selfish.
Have a great week.
Best,
Jason