We live in a society that glorifies the busy bee, the self-less philanthropist, the person who gives and gives and never takes. We never could let go of the idea of the ‘Renaissance Man’; the well rounded person who is good did not great at everything they do.

Nothing wrong with that, it's a lovely idea. Yup - idea.

The reality is, we are human. Everyday I find that there is a lot of truth in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. We have basic needs that need to be met before we can viably consider going above and beyond. Things like sleep, hydration, food, shelter.

You need to feel safe, wherever you are, doing whatever you are doing. You need relationships and connections to other people. This can look like friends, family, romantic intimacy, community. You also need to develop your self esteem. The way you view yourself influences the way you present yourself.

Once you have all of those things, you can start to really define yourself and gain confidence and flourish. And with that, you can do a lot of things, start a lot of projects, make a difference and an impact. And eventually, self-actualize, in the words of Maslow.

This all seems simple enough, and you may be nodding your head in agreement; yes, it makes sense.

But if it make sense, then why is it that so often we forget the first few building blocks and skip right to the top?

We all want to do something big with our lives, and by all means, please do! But don't forget to take care of yourself!

Please sleep, please get 3 meals a day, please set aside time to simply exist and be with people you love! You can't do anything great until you've mastered the foundations. Remember that you are a great person, and that you are worth that extra step. Don't devalue yourself.

Here's the thing: when you love yourself, you can love the world too.

But allow me to stress - you need to love yourself first. And how do you do this? You take care of yourself, and you pay attention to your needs and attend to them. Stop putting them aside because “you don't have time” because you have too busy a schedule or because “it would be selfish”.

It's not selfish to treat yourself. Take a night off, delegate a task or two. It's not selfish to love yourself. So next time the world is caving in and your arms just can't span it, it's okay to take a break!