WISH FOR YOURSELF

My grandma once told me, “Before you go to bed, you must always say three prayers, not for your family, your parents or friends, but for you, you must be able to put yourself first”. I wasn’t a child, so I understood where she was coming from, but it seemed selfish nevertheless. I always thought, that if I look after others even better than how I treat myself, one day karma will be good to me and help you out.

As always, the older you get, the wiser you become. My grandma was correct. All those times where I placed my friends before myself, especially during school, that didn’t help me at all. In fact, it only made me go backwards, making it harder for me to progress. For example; my grades suffered because I placed others priorities before my own.

It never occurred to me, that by putting aside other people’s priorities, for just a short period of time, it would be enough for me to understand a whole chapter in maths, which would be the difference between a pass or a fail. Or if I had better contact with my teachers, I may have had the ability to confide with them my struggles; allowing them to help me correct them.

Most of all, if I have had listened to my parents and had been selfish for those short quick years, most likely all the struggles I faced would have been erased, and I would have had a smoother transition into the outside world. Instead, I was faced with a constant feeling of waiting for a miracle to happen, so my life can flow into a straight path instead of a gravel road.

Now that school has been over for a while, and I am in the outside world. I am able to say that there is no shame in saying no. If your friends are your friends, they will understand, they may tease or maybe complain, but at the end they will find a time which suits you both.

Think about it this way, if a friend asks you to help them move into their new home, but you have a broken leg, you are not going to be much use to them. However, if you take time out for yourself and help your leg heal, you will be stronger than you were before. Allowing you to help even more people in your life.

So the next time you find yourself praying, wishing or thinking. Pray for your future, wish for your wants and think about where you want to me in 10 years from now. Because I can assure you, that if you put yourself first in the present with good intentions, you will have the ability to help all those you love in the future.

By Natali Perera