be less selfish

Thinking in a self-centered way is a major defense mechanism for me when I am depressed, but that puts distance between me and others and pushes me further inside my own head, which I already am because I work in a solitary field.

For right now, the goal is: do something concrete (e.g., something that takes more than 5 minutes) every day that helps someone else without regard to whether I want to.

Yesterday I spoke with my roommate’s ex-boyfriend for 3 hours, counseling him on what he can do to most help her. (It’s complicated.) I was frankly grateful for the opportunity.

As I become more aware of my interactions with other people, I have noticed that I tend to steal the spotlight. This may not fall under the traditional definition of selfish, but it is kind of selfish to always be the center of attention. I am now making a conscious effort to hold myself back.

Yesterday, there was a end-of-the-school-year picnic and my first grade teacher happened to be retiring. So much did I want to jump up, take the microphone, and talk about how she was my first grade teacher and now I have two master’s degrees. Looking at it in writing now, makes me realize how completely inappropriate that would have been. I held myself back, and after the picnic, I thanked the teacher privately. In the end, thanking the teacher privately was so much more personal, and she really appreciated it.

I don’t like to think of myself as selfish; however, observing the selfishness of others has really caused me to sit back and reflect. I am going to make it a conscious effort to not be selfish and to think of other people first. Hopefully I will become a better person because of it.

My husband will do just about anything for me. I think I take advantage of knowing this sometimes. I treat him with love and respect too, but I’m always asking him to do things for me that I can do for myself just because I know he will do them! I never use to be like this!

I always think about it, but I’m not honestly sure if I really do it. I really try not to be. I think keeping it in the back of my mind has really helped though. So when I am being selfish I know it.

I think I have been getting better at this lately. :)

I agree with joyyii. The world doesn’t revolve around me, yet although I know this I am way too selfish sometimes.

I need to be able to share. I guess, growing up without siblings, I never learned that as well as I should have. And I also need to learn to put others first and spend money on them without thinking or resenting it. I figure if I do learn to be more selfless, it will help my relationships with my family and friends.

Hopefully, looking at this goal every day will force me to be more conscious of my actions.

Not everything is about me! I want to be less selfish and put other people first, (at least sometimes!)

selfishness is so pointless;
honestly it helps no one
not even yourself >_<

I’m currently at a corporate training session on improving communication skills, and all day I kept thinking, how much of all this communications styles stuff just boils down to being less selfish? Almost any significant misunderstanding I’ve ever been party to has come about through inability or unwillingness to adapt my own communication style and to try to meet the other’s needs. Lately, well before this course, I’ve really been noticing in myself that I can be a very bad listener, especially to family and people close to me. It’s not really deliberate – my mind’s just elsewhere. I really need to make an effort to really tune in and respect those talking to me. Sometimes I have to get them to repeat what they’ve just said and admit that I just wasn’t listening.