How being Selfish is actually Self-Less..

I hear it all the time. "I don't have time for myself". "As long the kids have what they need I'm good". "My needs are not important"...

These sound familiar? I think they do for most of us. We tend to put ourselves last in order to make sure everyone else is taken care of. We think that taking time for ourselves to make sure we have what we need is selfish! My kids are more important we say, my husband/wife needs me to do this first we say...

I say this needs to stop! Self-care needs to be at the top of your priority list. While taking time out of the day to work on yourself may initially seem selfish, in the long run it's actually self-less! Don't believe it? Check out these examples as they will prove my point:

A large part of the HappyHealthyHundreds philosophy has to do with self growth and learning. Continued learning is a cornerstone of building a happy, fulfilling life. In order to do this you must take the time for yourself to learn and grow. Yes, this means time solely dedicated to you! 

Now Before you dismiss this idea let's think it through. In the short term taking this time away from the family may seem Selfish. This however is completely inaccurate. It's actually Self-less! Let's say you use this time to get your MBA! In the future this MBA will open more doors for you and increase your value to potential employers thus increasing your salary! I'm sure the family would appreciate your efforts when you all get to spend an extra week at Disney or pay for the kids college without student loans! By initially taking the time to learn you now are able to provide great things for you and your family! There's nothing selfish about that!

Still not sure? Let's look at another example:

There's no way I can hit the gym or go for a run for 30 mins a day! I got work, Johnny's got soccer practice and Jane has a bake sale in the morning! Phrases similar to this are spoken daily in millions of households across the world.

While this may seem extreme to those who haven't had children, I can assure you this is just another day when you have Littles running around. There's always a reason to put off taking care of yourself. But there is never a good enough reason!

Again, while taking time for yourself to ensure you are healthy may seem low on the priority list, you aren't doing anyone any favors by not doing it. We all know the benefits of health and fitness, too many to list, but for this example we only need two.

When you exercise and are in good health you feel good, your mood is up , and your energy level is high. The high energy and mood levels carry over to everyday life. You will be better able to see the positives in situations and better energized to take on what ever the day may hold. You will are able to chase the kids around for hours, go from work to the little league game at the end of the day and still have the energy root the kids on! You taking the time to be healthy will allow you to be the best version of yourself, which in turn allows you to give your best in life.

Those around you deserve to get the best version of you. You owe it to them to be healthy. They need you at your best. Only when you are at your best can you help them be at theirs! 

Let's also not forget the medical factor down the road as well! Taking the time to take care of yourself will most likely allow you to not only live longer but to live longer without the assistance of others. While this thought is a bit of a downer, we  do all get older and will most likely need some assistance at some point. By focusing on your health you increase your odds of being around longer! Not just that but you will also most likely be more self sufficient longer and not need as much assistance. The Gran-kids will be happy to know you and your kids will be happy not to see you living in their basement!

In reality, taking care of your health is not only helping you, but everyone around you. In Fact it's selfish of you not to do it!


As you can see from these examples, the way most of us have been thinking is backwards. Not taking time for yourself is SELFISH and actually taking the necessary time for you is Self-Less!

However you choose to think about it isn't what's important. What is of upmost importance is that we realize there is no scenario in that exists when it is acceptable to no take care of ourselves. It is not OK for you, your friends, or your family to not get you at your best.  You owe it not only to them but to yourself to take the time needed so that you can perform at the highest level in your everyday life. 

MAKE THE TIME! 

Thanks for reading

HappyHealthyHundreds