The case for selfishness

Think of a standard day in your life. Think of all the things you do, the people you connect with, the influences you share and receive, the obligations you have, the tasks you need to complete and the emotions and thoughts that go along with all of it.  Now take a step back.

How many different roles do you play? How many different people have expectations of you: your behaviour, your timeliness, your commitment, your attention to detail?

The day to day management of the role of Mother, partner, sister, daughter, friend, aunt, employee is a tough one. There are so many competing factors and it takes time to work out where they all fit and how you keep them all in balance. The basis upon which all those roles are built - let's call it Self - needs to be strong in order to stay flexible and dynamic enough to change frequently, quickly ... and the expecation is, with grace and a sense of humour! 

Your Self is your core: you as separate from your thoughts and feelings, behaviours and emotions. Your Self is the part that, like in Pilates, needs to be strengthened and worked regularly in order to remain strong and supportive for the rest of you.

Self is renewed and revived when you take the time to listen to it, to nourish it with music, drawing, exercise, dancing, proper food (ie the stuff that you pick from nature), water, sleep, reading ... in short, having those experiences that do not require you to 'play' any of the roles listed above. We call it doing things for our SELF - or being SELFish.

Now somewhere along the way, this concept of selfish has taken on some seriously negative connotations.

I am all for SELFishness. If you are not taking care of your Self, what hope is there for the long term care and compassion for others? If your core Self is not being renewed and revived regularly, how can you effectively play your other roles in life?

be SELFish today ...

Sarah xx