I used to think being selfish was a bad thing, until
I learned that there are two kinds of selfishness. Good selfish and bad selfish. Sometimes,
being selfish can be a good thing and other times it can be bad, only because
bad selfishness is usually accompanied with icky and off putting vibes. I believe being
selfish in a way that puts you first, so that you’re able to be in the right
state of mind to be present and helpful to others is great. You can’t pour from
an empty glass, so if you’re not putting yourself first by doing things that
help you be a better person, like, taking time to recharge, having personal me time to decompress, and making
decisions for your life that will take it in a positive direction, you’re not
honoring yourself, which means you’ll be less likely to help others. Also
learning to say the word no is
necessary too. I used to feel really bad whenever I declined someone’s request
or invitation to something that would require my time, energy, and/or money. My
biggest fear was what if they get mad at
me or what if they don’t like me,
anymore? Now, I don’t care so much, because that fear was a bit silly. If
I’m going to be the best version of myself it will mean saying no to different
things, instead of yes. In Don’t Settle
for Safe Sarah Jakes Roberts says, “If you can’t handle my no, it’s because
you’re too comfortable abusing my yes.” Know this, if you say yes to everything, you risk draining yourself. As far as bad selfishness goes, being
completely inflexible all the time, having to have things go your way all the
time, and not being considerate of other people are great examples of being
negatively selfish. If you're not careful, that kind of selfishness can cost you valuable relationships
and opportunities to be a blessing, and to be blessed. I
wanted to note the differences between these forms of selfishness, because I’ve
experienced and noticed how some people are comfortable attempting to put
others on guilt trips about this, without recognizing how much good
and bad selfishness differ. And selfishness truly has differences.
About a year ago, I had a dream my dad wanted to talk to our family about something serious. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to discuss, but I knew it was something I needed to prepare myself for. Around the time after I had this dream, I remember stopping by my parents place and sensing something was going on that they weren’t telling me. I tried to dismiss what I’d been feeling, but I couldn’t shake it. Something serious was happening. As I returned to my home after visiting them one day, I was in my kitchen washing dishes when a heaviness hit my heart like nothing I’d ever felt before. Something’s wrong with dad. That’s what that dream was about. God, what’s going on? As I continued washing dishes, I started crying and praying. Then in mid-spring, my dad held an unexpected family meeting that would change all our lives forever. He hesitated at first, and as his voice started cracking and he started crying, he said, “Well, I wanted to talk to ya’ll to tell you that I have kidney disea...