A Lesson To Be Told

You can’t save the world until you have saved yourself first.

A few good friends of mine taught me this important life lesson. To put myself first before helping others. Metaphorically speaking, putting my own oxygen mask on before helping someone else put theirs on first.

The problem with trying to save everyone and solve their problems is that you drop your own personal needs for the sake of appearing “nice” in their eyes. This is through my own personal experiences and it may be the same for you but everyone is different in how they approach these kinds of situations. The reason I say this is an issue is that you neglect your own personal trials and tribulations that are crushing your mental, physical, financial, or spiritual health.

I never believed it’s a weakness to care and to support others, but when your life is in shambles and you’re drowning through your own struggles, then you’re only sacrificing your life and inner peace. My sense of moral belief is to still be there for my tribe and those who are less fortunate (family, close friends, and the poor), but to also set boundaries on how I help them while not destroying myself by neglecting my own personal needs.

One of my favorite quotes from Magento (The Master of Magnetism) is that “to save one life is to save the world.” I thought about the meaning of this quote in my own life. How my very own life is my whole world that needs saving. It may appear selfish to others, but the reality that it comes down to is that nobody will ever save me from the bad times in this life.

Only God/ Jesus Christ has that kind of universal power, and my own internal capabilities to become the sharpest and most durable sword in the universe.

I remind myself that this world can’t save you from the hellish experiences of humanity. That is not to say that there aren’t any good people who are willing to give their lives for you or to offer their hand in the worst of times. Hope exists because without it, what is the point of even looking forward to anything meaningful.

We hope for better days because it pushes us to fight harder and take the blunt forces from the world. We may not have the Hulk’s or Superman’s invulnerability to handle the powerful blows that could destroy an entire solar system or multiverse, but the endurance to go the distances of our hardships lies deep within our souls.

I choose to fight to the end of my life on this earth. Life can be made into something beautiful when we choose to not be defeated by our circumstances. You’re alive and able to do something about what you’re going through.

I lied to myself more often than not because I see the impossibilities as the reality of my situations. And believe me, I only fooled myself to be complacent and to allow life to claim my ass by not standing up for myself.

There always comes a point in life when you have to say no to all of the bull crap that gets you down and under the grill. Why should you continue to burn through your pain and struggles when you can embrace what they are. Once you embrace the reality of how freaked you are with your life, then you can decide that it’s time to go to battle with what is burning your world in a BBQ crisp of nothingness.

As I stated before, I’ll continue to fight to the end of time and not go down as either a bum (someone who doesn’t do crap for themself) or a coward. The real reward I’ve come to realize in life is becoming undefeated through your faith in God and who you are as a person.

Whatever you’re going through, I hope this post was able to help you in some kind of way because I know what it’s like to be zero to a hero. I haven’t reached the hero status yet, but I am getting there each step of the way. Take care and remain purpose-driven in the life that you want for yourself and for your loved ones.