From day one, we are taught to do things for others; to not only think about ourselves; to not be selfish. That makes sense. Nobody wants a greedy child who won't share a toy, and everybody wants their child to be the kind, giving, boy-or-girl scout that they've always imagined. For the youth, being selfless is the ultimate goal.
If there is one thing I've learned being the 21-year old I am, it's not "beer before liquor, never been sicker." Instead, it's that we expend a ridiculous amount of energy trying to please others. We can do dishes without asking for thanks, we can work two jobs to pay for our own education so as not to burden our family, we can talk to our sad, single friend everyday in hopes of making her feel better... And at the end of the day, we don't feel good about ourselves. Maybe we feel happy knowing we did the right thing, but we are exhausted. And doing things like this week after week gets old, and ultimately we get old too.
As we grow older, we give more and more of ourselves until we have nothing left. But it's okay to be selfish.
Now I don't mean the take-everything-for-yourself kind of selfish. I mean the do-something-for-yourself kind of selfish. We work day in and day out trying to satisfy our friends, our family, our landlords, and our bosses, but it's time to take a day off.
I recently took a personal day off from work because I was feeling so bummed out and I learned how incredible it is to be a tiny bit selfish.
Sure, I felt a little bad about saying I was "sick," but the effects of this single day were incredible. I spent money on myself that my rational self normally wouldn't have. I bought a really nice sketch pad, I bought myself a coffee at my favorite cafe, and I laid lazily in the sun for an hour before buying myself the cheeseburger I'd been craving. And you know what? I didn't even think about the calories of that burger or the glass of wine I drank alone in the solace of my room.
While I sound like a greedy pig, that day was just the cure I needed. I was wide awake and ready for work the next morning. I was extremely productive and didn't let any of the snide comments from my rude manager get to me. And I even went on a date that night! I never do anything that requires me to get ready. The point is, I was so well-rested, dynamic and most importantly, I was happy.
This article isn't intended to rub my perfect day in your face- it is intended to inspire you. Take some time to yourself. Do what is best for you for once. We all deserve a little "me" time, so be a tad bit selfish and take an afternoon to get a pedicure or grab a beer instead of going to that PTA meeting. Heck, take a day off work like I did. Being selfish every once in awhile is awesome.
