My Life and Yours Are Equally Precious

If you tend to care only for others, you might learn to care more for yourself.
If you tend to care only for yourself, you might learn to care more for others.
That may sound like two completely opposite things.

But the lesson is the same for both: your life and the lives of others are equally precious.

Giving your all for someone else is a wonderful thing.
You cannot simply walk away when someone is struggling.
When someone asks, you want to find a way to help.
That kind of warmth sets a wonderful example for others.

But do you ever ignore your own mind and body when they are crying out for relief?
You want to rest, yet you put on a smile and say yes.
You do not want to do it, yet you put up with it because you would feel bad saying no.
Keep doing that and, before you know it, you may find yourself thinking, “After all I’ve done for them…”

When that happens, you need not blame yourself for not being loving enough.
It means the time has come to pay attention to how precious your own life is, too.

When someone dear to you is exhausted, you would not say, “Try harder,” would you?
You would probably say, “Why don’t you rest today?”
Say those same words to yourself.
You deserve to receive that kindness, too.

On the other hand, if you usually put your own convenience first, pause and look around.
Could someone be pushing themselves too hard so that you can be comfortable?
Have you forgotten that behind the things you take for granted are someone else’s time, effort, and care?

Caring for yourself and having things your own way are two different things.
Just as you have feelings, so does the other person.
Just as your time is precious, so is theirs.
Learning to care for others begins by giving that some thought.

So the same words will not help everyone.
Tell someone who already gives all they have to others to “live more for others,” and they may push themselves into a corner.
And if someone who overlooks other people’s feelings hears only “take care of yourself,” they may pay even less attention to those around them.

What matters is looking quietly at which way you tend to lean right now.
If you always put yourself last, listen to how you really feel today.
If you always put yourself first, try listening to someone else all the way to the end today.

You need not do anything grand.
Small steps like these deepen your understanding of life.

Life is equally precious whether it is yours or someone else’s.
We all come from the same Source and live here in our own forms.
You cannot cherish all life while treating your own life carelessly. And you cannot understand how precious your own life is while treating the lives of others carelessly.

Who needs your care today?
It may be someone you always look out for.
It may be someone you have long overlooked.
And you yourself know who it is.

Look deeply into the truth of your own life.
The wisdom and strength you truly need will well up from within.