I find it funny that for my entire life I have associated the word selfish as being a bad thing. You hear all the time "don't be selfish, you're selfish, he/she is selfish, Kobe Bryant is selfish (lol)"
Now Dave Matthews said "you got to give before you can begin to live" and I couldn't believe with him more. There is something about giving that really make you feel good. It makes those rainy days sunny and the bad days good.
One of the reasons I chose to be a paramedic. So I could give back. Its pretty indescribable when you meet a 90 something year old Jewish lady that is a Holocaust survivor, and shes sick as hell and telling you about how bad she hurting at the very moment. And she says "thank you sir" Thats why I do what I do.
But back to being selfish. Bad or not? I actually like to think of myself as one of the most selfish people I have ever met. And quite frankly i'm very proud of that. I live for me, I do what I want to do, and I try to not let anyone or anything get in my way.
I have set goals for my life, and if I wasn't selfish and living for me, some of those dreams might not come true.
Luckily giving is one of the things I like to do. So I guess some many say thats me not being selfish, but if you turned the table and someone asked me not to do that, I wouldnt listen to them, then again I would be selfish.
So my thought and advice to many is to be more selfish.
Live for yourself and no one else.
"I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle.”
ReplyDelete"A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle." -Ben franklin
I was raised to believe that being selfish is one of the worst qualities you can have. But I was also raised to understand that being selfish is a necessity that you need to balance your entire life. Great topic and great blog.
-Johnny
There is a difference between self-honoring and being selfish. What you have described of yourself is self-honor and self-love. Those are qualities that should be embraced! It is impossible to love and honor another person without first doing that for yourself...
ReplyDeleteA selfish person is one who thinks of no one but himself and does not care about the turmoil he leaves behind.
i thought this same thing a few years back and completely agree... i guess this is what makes us brothers ;) but i keep replaying this idea in my head that maybe the word selfish should not necessarily be thought of in negative terms. Like you said, if one gets self pleasure by helping others, maybe volunteering at a soup kitchen could be considered selfish? here is my ultimate opinion... one who is truly selfless and wholeheartedly puts others before his own is a real hero. compare two people volunteering at the soup kitchen. one who is selfish as we've described above, and the other who only thinks about the people he is serving. one may be successful, happy, and selfish but the other is a selfless hero doing God's work. its very hard - i think most prefer to be selfish (in a positive way of course). moms tend to be good at being selfless.
ReplyDeletechris