A friend, after several difficult setbacks followed by an extended period of self-improvement, finally came to a profound realization.
“My primary business in my life is taking care of me!” she declared.
That statement may, on the surface, sound appallingly selfish. But in truth, it’s admirable and wise.
You can never fully help another until you first take care of yourself.
Even if you have young kids, elderly parents, or an overgrown garden depending on you, you must put your oxygen mask on first to be in any condition to take care of them.
Civil rights activist and poet Audre Lordes once said, “I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.”
To which I would add, caring for myself is an act of self-respect, essential to living a quality life and the key to financial success.
It’s also a powerful antidote to codependence, a debilitating condition common among women.
Prioritizing your own interests and well-being reflects a genuine desire to be the best you can be, to live an authentic life, and to treat yourself and others lovingly.
Putting yourself first may seem self-centered. But as George Sands wrote: “Nothing resembles selfishness more closely than self-respect.”
Where do you need to put yourself first? Tell me about it in the comments below.
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