Go Ahead, Be Selfish

*I do not take credit for image above*

    In the past week I've learned a lot.  About myself, about my friends and how I've been treating myself.  I discovered this: I don't put my happiness first.  I think of how what I'm going to do will affect my mom, or my boss or a friend.  My first thought is not: I'm going to do this because I want to and I don't care what happens.  To be honest I do care.  I care a lot.  I care how other people will react to said decision, and I care how it will affect others in the end.  I'm afraid of choosing me over other people.  I let the happiness and comfort of others outweigh my own.  As usual one of my dear friends and favorite boss lady's Cydney Irby reminded me of this: "You shouldn't (feel guilty for doing things for yourself)! Your 20's are supposed to be the years you do things for you without guilt! You're young!" I spend so much time worrying about other people that I don't think of me! Well if I've learned anything at all this summer it's that being selfish, in good taste, is okay.  Yes you read that right. I am telling you to BE SELFISH.

s you know, last week I got the chance of a lifetime: I met Taylor Swift.  The reason I am making this post, and the reason I am bringing that up again is this: I said no.  Yes, I was offered my dream and I turned it down.  Why? Because I knew I was going to have work.  I knew my saying yes to something I never imagined would happen would affect those around me and I was more concerned with that than accepting a once in a lifetime opportunity.  If it weren't for the special people I have in my life that reminded me: You work all the time! This is a once in a lifetime thing! I may not be able to say my dream came true.  In a matter of minutes they helped me realize that I never do things for myself.  I had just spent the entire summer before my senior year of college working, all day everyday.  Some days I'd have been at camp for 8 hours and then I'd have to spend another 8 at my other job.  I was making a decent amount of money and yet I was going to throw my chance out the window because I didn't want to disappoint my boss.

Thinking back on it, after everything worked out the way it did, I can't believe I ever said no in the first place.  At my age, as long as it's safe and reasonable, the answer should always be yes.  I'm young, you're young we don't have much time to do spontaneous things.  Now is the time to take advantage of our youth and just live.  When we're all out being actual adults, opportunities like this won't come around as often.  Adulthood is the time to say no.  Now is the time to embrace and enjoy every chance we get to experience life.  There is no better time or place to say yes than right now. Do things because you want to, do things because they make you happy do things for Y O U.  You don't want to grow old and look back on missed opportunities because you had to work or any other excuse you could possibly come up with.  Learn to be selfish sometimes.  Look how it turned out for me!

                                                          Never forget the essence of your spark!
​                                                                                    Maire