Put Yourself First

Is it selfish to put yourself first? I don’t think so, and I’m sure many others feel the same way; they always put themselves last simply because they are too kind, have been brought up too well, because of the (service-oriented) profession they are in, or because of the era and culture in which they grew up. I’d like to say that religion also plays a major role here, but being humble and there for others – let alone treating others as you would yourself – is becoming increasingly rare.
What has been observed more and more in recent years are large groups of people who are completely burnt out and can no longer cope with daily life. This has nothing to do with the Covid era and the strain on young people or the so-called overworked care workers, but rather the fact that many allow themselves to be drilled, lured into the next purchase, the next loan, with the result that they become workhorses, merely trying to survive.
Everyone knows full well that work does not bring happiness and that true wealth is not found in a bank account or in material possessions, and yet many continue to hope, against their better judgement, to climb higher on the social (read: career) ladder.

And then one day you find yourself standing there empty-handed. Burned out, having had a breakdown whilst on holiday in Switzerland, you realise that you’ve actually done nothing with your life apart from sorting out all sorts of things for others, racing against the clock and giving away your heroism, goodness, energy and your precious years of life.
And then you wonder how rich you’d be if you’d invested all that time, energy and money in yourself. You’d now be a rich, energetic and happy person, which in turn would radiate out to those around you.
Don’t let anyone convince you that you’re being selfish when you say no or refuse to be manipulated, because the person calling you selfish is, in all likelihood, one of the biggest parasites and freeloaders benefiting from the (free) work you do.
Put yourself first; if there’s still time and space left over after that, you can always see if there’s room for someone else.

_{Prompt: see title
29-7-2026}