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Actually, your world does revolve around you; it must. In your story, you are the earth and the sun. This means you must tend to your own soil before you can help another with theirs. You must water your own flowers first. You must be the moon and the stars, shining light into your darkness, and you must be the stillness that calms your own storms. So give yourself permission to put yourself first without asking for forgiveness. Allow yourself to contract before you expand. Step inside yourself and stay there for a while. Offer this as your gift to the world: you, fully bloomed, with an inner world so beautiful that it spills outside of yourself and spreads light to everyone it touches. ~Zanna Keithley‍

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These words spoke straight to my heart.

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There’s a big difference between selfishness and putting yourself first, which frankly is something that has taken me many years to understand. For far too long I thought that by taking care of others and putting their needs or feelings ahead of my own that I was doing right by both myself and the people I love. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

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Yes, sacrifice and selflessness are of course part of love and part of being a good person, but the reality is that when we put ourselves first and we tend to our own soil in order to live authentically and to be the best version of ourselves that we can be, everyone we love and care about reaps the rewards.

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So if we will do anything in our power to see those around us happy, healthy, loved, supported, and successful, why shouldn’t we do the same for ourselves?