When It's Important to be Selfish | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

When It's Important to be Selfish

The key, is to know the difference between necessary selfish actions and harmful selfish actions.

17
When It's Important to be Selfish
pixabay.com

From the time we are young, we are told that there are some traits that you never ever want to exhibit and that's that. Like many things in life, though, there are pros and cons to the "good" and "bad" traits. This largely depends on the situation and what the results of the trait yield as an outcome.

For instance, being selfish when it means putting your own well-being first is healthy and not always an easy decision in life. When you're an overly caring or sensitive person, it can be especially hard to not want to do everything humanly possible to help those around you. While you might enjoy being known as the person that is so selfless that they never ask of others for something you need, this is harmful to yourself later down the road.

It might be something that can be taken for granted to be able to ask others for what you need. Being able to make sure your own needs are taken care of before you see to helping others can be a skill that not everyone prioritizes in life. But think of it this way: if you need to be there to take of others and make sure something happens properly, you have to make sure you've given yourself the time you need and the resources whether it be food, tools, etc., in order to be the best you possible. If you were to give away everything you needed to go about your routine healthily, then you would be running on fumes either physically, mentally, emotionally, or sometimes a combination of all three.

The key is to know the difference between necessary selfish actions and harmful selfish actions. When being selfish means putting your feelings first because you will feel healthier emotionally, or just making sure you've eaten before giving your food away to someone else, then these are important and necessary moments in which you need to value where you're at and put yourself first. This is extremely different from being self-involved because you don't want to think about others ever.

With this in mind, it's important to be aware of what you need in life when faced with situations either big or small. It's important to help others around you, it's wonderful actually, but there is importance and necessity in taking care of yourself so that you are able to make a difference helping others.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

3269
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

302262
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments