“Me first, you second” is an attitude that few of us were conditioned to believe is okay.
Putting ourselves first is frowned upon by many. While taking care of “me first, you second” is completely the opposite of what most of us have been taught, there’s more to the concept than you might think.
First of all, many of us put others first because we want them to like us and have a good opinion of us. Others do it because we have been conditioned to think that it’s the only right thing to do. Like me, you may have been taught that you are a better person when you take care of everyone else before yourself. We are considered virtuous if we take care of everyone else prior to tending to our own needs. Many of us have come to realize that people like us better when we are selfless.
There seems to be a general misconception in our society that selfishness is bad and that it’s wrong to put yourself before others. Selfishness has a negative connotation in our society. The phrases “it’s all about me” and “looking out for number one” implies that you are conceited, arrogant or self-centered — it very seldom implies that you are a healthy individual who has self-dependent esteem.
Give yourself permission to put you first and others second. Notice how you think and feel when you first begin to repetitively practice healthy selfishness with deliberate intention.
