I love it when you call me a bit selfish

Self-esteem is not a bad word, nor is it equivalent to selfishness. Self-esteem simply refers to how we think, see, or feel about ourselves. It all comes back to what we believe about who we are.

A dialogue that keeps coming up between my friends and I is this idea of becoming more selfish: commandeering it, making it our own.

If I’m being honest, I’ve always viewed men as the embodiment of this word, because more often than not, men ask for or demand things that women often accommodate for or around.

Well, not anymore.

It’s not that I don’t like men. I love ‘em. It’s not that I feel like a doormat. Because I’m not. But I do, more times than I care to admit, make others feel more comfortable by forgoing selfishness.

Selfishly? I’m outraged about a lot lately. Even though I love making lists, I selfishly cannot do so here lest you believe I’m totally rotten.

What if we woke up every day with the posture we’re all encouraged to take when boarding a plane and prepping for emergency:

Help yourself before helping others.

This is the kind of selfishness I have an appetite for.

Only after I’ve positioned myself for sanity, growth, nurture, and all the other things I desire —only then will I be extending myself for others.