Contrary to popular belief, it is vital to be selfish. Although being selfish is generally regarded as a negative attribute, it is one of the most vital to success. For example, when on airplanes you are encouraged to be selfish. It’s common knowledge that if an accident were to occur your first course of action should be to place the oxygen mask over your mouth and then others. How will you aid and improve the lives of those around you, if you are not functioning at your best?

When thinking about being selfish most think of greed. However, they have forgotten to factor in context. Your self-improvement, health, and personal success are all dependent on your selfishness.

In order to effectively grow the skills, you are passionate about you must be selfish, even to the point of obsession. Michael Phelps was selfish with his time. He focused on training, said no to friends, and as a result, holds the Olympic record for most gold medals. He showed us all something about human achievement and human potential. His selfishness was not something motivated by greed but was a gift to us all, to show us what mankind can do.

When setting goals for yourself you need to be selfish. When your phone is buzzing with distractions it is important to be selfish. I want to encourage the aspiring actor, the football player, and the budding entrepreneur to be selfish. Become obsessed with your work, be driven by your work and let that commitment shine in your selfishness. Being selfish is your duty, an obligation to yourself. Become comfortable that you are doing something for you. You can only have success when you are selfish. Don’t cheat us of your contribution give the best of what you’ve got, be selfish.

If you want to be able to bring value to others, if you want to make a positive difference you must be selfish. Selfish about where you spend your Friday nights, selfish about who you spend time with, selfish about what you read, selfish about what you do for fun, selfish about what you listen to, selfish about the issues you take a stand for, selfish about who you vote for, even selfish about the way you think. In order to survive, you must be selfish.

Being selfish allows you to be more generous. The least selfish people are the least generous. That may seem like a misnomer, how can that be possible? You see people that are so focused on getting others to like them, trying to impress because of their own insecurities, have no energy to help others. People that are not selfish about their well being, will lose it. People who aren’t selfish emotionally will be hurt. The bottom line is you can’t help the world if you can’t help yourself. Our big dreams, our ability to help others are dependent on us being selfish.

If you want to add value to your life and your friends it is only effectively accomplished by first being able to have the right skills to do so. And that involves being selfish.  When you stop being selfish and start over-giving yourself, your time, and energy, you will begin to feel resentment. For true success, you need to be self-aware, you need to be selfish. Being a leader means being selfish. If you want to be able to spread empathy, joy, kindness, and gratitude you must be selfish. For you are simply distributing what you must already have.