We never really think about of ourselves as a priority. I know I’m guilty of this. It’s not that we do this on purpose, but we tend to put things before ourselves. It can be a range of things from school, work, friends, family, or love life. This can be a combination of all of these things, but at the end of the day, we continue to put ourselves last. It’s always easy for someone to say “well you need to start putting yourself first”, but it isn’t always an easy task to do. It’s weird to think that putting ourselves first is hard, but for those like me, then you know it’s quite difficult.
I’m the type of person to put myself last most of the time. I put others before myself because I tend to think others are more important. I’m what you would call a people pleaser. Get your mind out of the gutter. When I say people pleaser, I mean if my best friend wanted to see La La Land and I wanted to see Get Out, then I would see La La Land. My friends know that when I’m asked what I want to do, I always say whatever you want to do or I’m fine with anything. They get annoyed when I say this because they want me to pick for once. I just prefer for someone else to be happy, even if it means compromising my own. It never occurred to put myself first, but it doesn’t mean I’m a doormat, but a mentality I’ve grown accustomed to.
I’ve come to realize that this type of mentality isn’t necessarily bad, but there needs to be a balance. You need to realize that your wants and needs are important. You aren’t selfish if you decide to put yourself first. Honestly, you should want to put yourself first. It’s actually quite natural to want things for yourself. This does not make you a terrible, selfish person, which I cannot stress enough. It does take time, but little baby steps go a long away. You see people for who they truly are when you decide to put yourself first. The people who support you are the ones you want to keep in your life. If they decide that they don’t like that you’re starting to put yourself first, then you can kick them to the curb. Do things for yourself. Don’t care what others will say or think. You have every right to do what’s best for you, even when people will tell you no. Another word you’re going to learn is no, which is powerful. When you put yourself first, then you are empowering yourself. You are empowering yourself to say that you are important because you truly are. Do not let anyone tell you anything different. You are important and you do come first, never forget that.