We align ourselves with what serves us first, so we can best serve those who we most align with second.
This is the formula forward.
Many people try to reverse this formula and align themselves with what best serves others first and then only serve themselves with whatever time/energy is left over and after the fact.
The reason this strategy doesn’t work (maybe less optimally… maybe not at all) is because serving others is an infinite and endless loop.
You could very well give every ounce of time and energy you have to the people closest to you and still be met with this black hole of insatiable needs and desires.
Not only is this incredibly exhausting and demoralizing… but debilitating.
We must remember: so long as we’re willing to give time and energy, so too will others be willing to take.
Think about it. Time and energy are our life’s most precious resources. And whenever another person gives us some of theirs, not only is it an invaluable investment but an affirmation of worth of ours.
And while this sounds like a wonderful gift to give to those closest to us, it completely disregards the person who’s closest…
Yourself.
If you aren’t willing to invest any of your most precious resources into yourself, how can you expect your ability to serve to grow? This is no different than an investment account.
No continued investments? No continued growth. Plain and simple.
And the time to invest isn’t after all of your money has been spent. It’s first and foremost—automatically preferably—so that your growth is guaranteed irrespective of the “market conditions” of those whom you’re most aligned to serve.