The idea of being completely selfless is idealistic, but in reality it’s just not practical at all. Often we think that making other people happy will bring happiness to our own lives, but there are times when this simply is not the case. While no one wants to be thought of as selfish, there are occasions where putting yourself first is not just the best thing for you, but is even beneficial to those who you care about the most.
To make others happy, you have to be happy.
How can you try and cheer someone else up if you are in a bad mood yourself? The truth is, you can’t and it’s the same when it comes to making someone happy. You may think that being truly selfless means putting others happiness first, but in fact happiness is most effective when shared, making it essential for you to be happy first. Putting yourself before others is deemed to be selfish, but in the long run doing what’s best for you actually works out best for everyone, so don’t be afraid to do it once in a while.
Your relationships will benefit.
For your relationships to work, you have to be getting something out of it and sometimes the only way to achieve this is to be selfish. Relationships are all about balance, and acting selfish to get what you want in some aspects will mean that you are more likely to compromise on others. To be in a successful relationship you have to not only know what you want, but know who you are as an individual and sometimes being selfish is the only way for you to know this.
It will offer you success.
Being selfish can often be essential when it comes to achieving success. If you are someone that is constantly compromising your own aspirations with your consideration for others, then you are not likely to get very far in life. Those who know exactly what they want, and aren’t afraid to chase it, are the ones who get it and more often than not they won’t think twice about putting themselves first to get there. It may seem selfish, and not worth contradicting your morals for, but sometimes in life you have to be ruthless, otherwise you run the risk of staying in the shadows.
Not everyone is grateful.
Too often we put others before ourselves and receive no gratitude for doing so. Whilst you don’t necessarily give to receive, why should you always be the one to give? When acting selflessly you are supposed to accept that you may not receive appreciation for your sacrifice, but it’s human nature to feel disappoint if you don’t. There are times when others should absolutely be put first, regardless of whether they will be grateful for it, but then there are also times when you should save yourself from the disappointment, and avoid putting yourself last for someone that would not do the same for you.
The life you are living is yours.
Despite all else it all comes down to the fact that it is your life. We have all been told that ‘life’s short’ and ‘you only get one’, and if we are to truly live by this then being selfish at times is inevitable. You have to think about how you will feel when you look back at your life, and what you are likely to regret more. Are you going to be grateful that you always put others before yourself no matter what? Or, are you going to wish that you fearlessly did whatever you wanted regardless of the consequences?
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