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Today's
Meditation:
I know far
too many people who feel that if they do things for
themselves, they're being selfish and greedy.
They've learned somehow, somewhere, that they need to look
after other people all the time, that they can't take care
of themselves because that would reveal a character flaw
that they don't want to expose. But the truth is
that when we help ourselves, we make ourselves stronger
and more capable of helping others.
On a
superficial level, for example, if I take a job that earns
me more money, then I'll have more money to be able to
share with others, to help them out when they need
it. If I'm burned out at work and I'm feeling
horrible, just how effective am I going to be when a
friend comes to me just to talk? Am I going to be
giving them good advice? Am I going to listen
well? Probably not. But if I take some time
off of work so that I can rest and get my bearings, I'll
be much more ready to take on the task of helping someone
else, and I'll be much better at it.
And
then, when I do help someone else, I'm creating for myself
a sense of satisfaction that is very beneficial to
me. When I'm able to give or loan money to someone
who desperately needs it, I'm seeing a payoff for all my
hard work-- the money has a much deeper purpose than just
buying the same old stuff. When I'm able to sit and
listen to someone else who desperately needs to talk, I'm
seeing the benefits of doing something important to help
myself.
It's wonderful-- and even necessary-- to help other people if we
want to live our lives fully. But we can't neglect
ourselves in the equation. If we do so, we risk not
being able to help others, or being completely ineffective
when we try to do so.
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