Why Your Family Needs You to be Selfish

Selfishness.

What do you feel when you read this word?

Whatever it may be I imagine it to be a negative feeling. How could being selfish be a good thing?

Well, I’ll reveal to you now why at times, your family NEEDS you to be selfish, and why it’s a GOOD THING.

 

To help explain, let me take you through a scenario. Answering honestly, what would you do in this situation?

You’re on a plane and surrounded by your family. Maybe your children or elderly parents. The plane comes into difficulty triggering the oxygen masks to drop into the cabin. Honestly, what would your first action be?

 

1 – To help your less able family around you first? – you love them and you want to make sure they ok.

2 – Or take put your own mask one first.

 

So which would it be: 1 or 2?

(Comment below and let me know your thoughts!)

 

When I’ve asked this question to friends and clients over the years most people’s initial reaction is to help their family first. They love them and of course put their needs before themselves. (And no one wants to be seen as ‘selfish’ by putting his or her own mask on first).

But, if you didn’t have your own mask on, what would happens if you passed out due to lack of oxygen before you finished helping them?

Who’s going to help them then?

 

Lets look back at Option 2. Yes you take a moment for yourself first, but then you can be there for them as much a needed.

 

So why am I telling you this and what has this got to do with Physiotherapy? Pilates? or Yoga?

 

I’ll put it into content for you now.

 

Ironically one of the most common reasons people don’t take the time to look after themselves with things such as Physiotherapy, Yoga, and Pilates, is because they “don’t have the time”. They have other people depending on them and they don’t want to let them down. Whether this may be an elderly relative to help care for, or grandkids too look after to help their children when they’re at work.

 

They don’t want to feel guilty for taking that time purely for themselves when others a depending on them being there.

 

But what happens when those niggles you ‘haven’t had the time’ to look after suddenly become a big problem? What if your back “goes”, or your knees are too painful to walk far?

Who’s going to be there for your elderly relative then? And who’s going to pick the Grandkids of from school?

 

I imagine you can see where I’m going with this.

 

You’re family need you to be “selfish”. They may not even realise it themselves, but if you don’t look after yourself, how are you going to be there for them for years to come?

 

So yes. Being “selfish” can be a good thing. And its not really being selfish is it in the grand scheme of thing. Is it potentially not more selfish to actually not look after yourself. And people could then have to look after you?

 

If you really care for your family and want to be there for them for years to come, you HAVE to look after yourself first.

 

It’s not being selfish, its being selfless.

 

If you love your family, love yourself first.

 

Sammy 🙂

PS – Typo’s are FREE 😀