All my life, I have been putting people before myself. Between family members and friends, to boyfriends I’ve had in the past. When you’re the person looking out for everybody else, it gets mentally exhausting. Then, at the end of the day, you think - But who is gonna take care of and look out for me? Me.

Being selfish is often looked down upon. Instead, we are taught in society, to put other people first, which can cause us to neglect ourselves and our own needs. To be selfish is to be considered immoral or abnormal. However, I’m here to tell you that being selfish is necessary. Here are some reasons why.

#1 Like I stated before, because if you don’t put yourself first, who is going to?

I’ve learned with age and experience, it’s often hard to depend on people, but I can always depend on myself. With that, who has your back, more than yourself? Exactly.

#2 More time to focus on what you love.

Worrying about other people all the time, can leave you mentally exhausted and drained. However, focusing on what you love and what truly makes you happy, is necessary. Focusing on what you love will make you happier and live a better life altogether.

#3 For your own mental health & well being.

We live in a generation where mental health has a bad stigma. However, mental health is essential and necessary. If you don’t feel like doing something, then don’t. Don’t let anybody question you, your decisions, or make you feel as if you and your needs are not important. You don’t owe anybody any explanations. Overall, being selfish causes you to focus on your mental health, which is essential to living a healthy and happy life.

#4 You are your knight in shining armor.

Sounds cheesy, but once you focus on yourself, you will realize you don’t need anybody but yourself. You will be what makes you happy. You will be the savior of your own life and story.

#5 Self-confidence.

We live in an society with impractical ideals about who we are supposed to be that set us all up for failure constantly. Although, once you start being selfish, you will realize that you don’t need to be good enough for society. You are and have always been good enough. You will realize this by focusing on you. Focusing on yourself will help you gain confidence in your decisions and teach you to not second-guess yourself, your judgments and abilities.

#6 Self love/valuing yourself.

Once you begin to focus on yourself, you will realize how long you have been neglecting yourself. We are taught many things, but not how important it is to love and value ourselves. Being selfish sparks the journey of self love, a life long journey that is necessary for us all.

#7 You’ll become stronger.

Focusing on yourself and putting yourself first, will help you get more in touch with your emotions, your faults, your desires, and your needs. It’s easy to point the finger and blame other people for your problems. While, it’s difficult to take responsibility for your own shortcomings, mistakes and faults. However, when you began to cater to yourself more, this all becomes easier. You forgive yourself for your mistakes, you learn from them, and move on. All in all, the process makes you a stronger person, since you are more aware of the person you are and the person you want to be.

We are all often hard on ourselves. We can be our own worst enemies, by constantly neglecting our own personal needs. This is why, I believe it is important for all of us to be selfish at times. We all deserve to find things in life that we are passionate about and make us happy. So start today, by being selfish.