Maybe you’ve noticed (or maybe not) that our life is passing by quickly. Most of us tend to prioritize mortgage, bills, jobs, cars, houses, food, family and whatever comes in front of us, but we tend to forget the person that’s seeing everything: ourselves.
You see, we tend to try to fix things, but we forget that if we’re not ok, we cannot fix things. Sure, you might be ok now, but if you don’t take really good care of yourself, how much time will you be like this? Think about a house… if you don’t dust, cut the grass, paint the fence and other things like that, it will eventually deteriorate. That’s how we are too.
But beyond the physical aspects, let’s look at this from an evolutionary perspective. How can we grow if we only focus on other things but ourselves? And I’m not talking about being selfish or things like that, but if we are not strong enough, we cannot help others. The stronger we are, the more things we can resolve, therefore, the more people we can help. It’s not a selfish thing, but a moral duty to become the best version of ourselves because that’s the only way we can influence others to do that too. And we do it not only through advices, but by becoming an example that it’s possible. Everything it’s possible, but it’s f*ckin’ hard, especially when you’re not used to it.
I know I’ve mentioned similar things in the past, but today it become more personal than before. My wife kept sacrificing her own life so far for others and for other circumstances. That’s very noble of her and that’s one of the many reasons I love her. Yesterday she stumbled upon a Wedding Planning Course organized in our city (she loves weddings) and she would love to take it, but the cost of it is somehow an issue (as always). But no matter how tough things are, I believe she needs to do it because that’s what she loves to do and it would be a first in her life when she considers putting herself and her wellbeing first. It’s hard and she has second thoughts because she’s used to sacrifice herself, but life is too short for that. And once she grows, she can help so many people organize their perfect weddings because that’s what she loves to do. Without this course, she cannot help others at her full potential. Doesn’t it make sense to put herself first so she can do the best she can for others afterwards?
This idea applies in any situation. Even though it might sound very noble to sacrifice ourselves for others, if we don’t grow first, we cannot scale that up. All kind of excuses and obstacles will come along the way because life isn’t easy, but we need to be strong so others can follow. We need to grow to prove it’s possible. We need to be great so we can teach greatness. We need to take risks so we can show that it is worth it.
Considering all of this, I’m going to ask again: when would be the right time to put yourself first?