Your Creativity Rests On You Being More Selfish

Learn to redefine the word for yourself

I grew up in a Latinx household and in a lot of ways that’s my biggest caveat for what I learned about the word “selfish.” To be selfish was bad, it was discouraged, and most importantly it went against the needs of the collective. The older I got, particularly once I moved away from home, I realized that my stark definition for “selfish” was getting me into trouble.

In my early twenties it made it hard to put my needs first in relationships or to set boundaries with my family. In my career it made “No worries, I can do that!” my go-to phrase. It led to burnout on a personal and career level, but mostly it depleted my creative will and focus.

I’m 29 years old now and the most significant shift I’ve made in my career and life is to take it upon myself to learn how to be more selfish. I’m an active work in progress, but here are some areas where I’ve had to make adjustments because my past self was too afraid to seem selfish:

• Taking up space in our home for my creativity
• Protecting my time
• Respecting my work, no more “it’s only…” phrases
• Prioritizing time to brainstorm, walk, get outside and live in the name of my creativity