Author: Amy Nicole
I’ve been told by my family that I can be selfish at times. I admit sometimes I look out for my own interest before I consider those of others but that is something I’m definitely trying to improve on.
But I wonder is being selfish always a bad thing? I believe when it comes down to your mental well-being, happiness, and health that it’s perfectly okay to be selfish. I used to be this person who cared so much about what other people thought about me and I would work so hard to please everyone. It got to the point where I was putting my own happiness to the backburner. As you get older you realize that pleasing everyone is impossible.
A few months ago I was having a family crisis which was also during a time when I was unemployed and living back at home with my parents. I had been traveling to Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina 2 to 3 times a month interviewing for jobs and getting rejection emails back to back. During that time I was very depressed and was in a bad mental state. My mom thought it would be for the best interest of the family if we all postponed our plans whether it be moving to a new state or seeking job opportunities until the situation was under control. My older brother who was finishing his medical residency in another state also considered pulling out of school temporarily to move back home. I love my family but I didn’t agree with my mom’s suggestion because none of us knew when the crisis would be resolved or if it ever would be. I didn’t feel like me being at home would have any significant impact on what was going on.
My mom is very selfless but she also neglects her own well being a lot of times. She always expresses to my siblings and I how she wished she would have had the opportunity to move to California with the rest of her sisters when she was younger. Instead of moving to California she stayed in Mississippi to help take care of my sick grandmother. As time passed on by she ended up getting married and having kids and her dreams of moving away never came into fruition.
The older that I get I realize how precious time is. As humans we don’t have forever and I don’t want to end up being one of those people who look by at their life when they are an elder and regret all the things that never got a chance to do.
After almost two years of interviewing for jobs I was finally offered a job in Charlotte, North Carolina. I accepted the job offer even though my family’s crisis still isn’t completely resolved. I had been depressed and unhappy for a long time and I needed this move to get me back in a better mental state. It’s been almost a month since I’ve moved and I’m in such a better place in life. My family is doing much better now but most importantly I’m happy and my happiness is the utmost importance to me at this stage in my life.
Photo Cred: SHARENATOR