Do you put yourself first in life, or do you disregard your own needs? Are you always putting other people before yourself? Today, we are going to dive into 10 putting yourself first quotes to inspire you to make yourself a priority in life.
For each put yourself first quote, I have added my own thoughts and opinions. I hope these ideas help inspire you.
Disclosure – This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Any compensation I receive does not affect the price you pay.
Let’s dive into 10 putting yourself first quotes.
Putting yourself first does not mean that you don’t care about others. It means you’re valuing your own needs and well-being. – Deborah Day
This quote points out a very important point. Putting yourself first doesn’t mean that you don’t care about the people closest to you. It doesn’t mean that you don’t love your family.
You can still care about people and put yourself first. You can still value yourself.
If you have a problem with the idea of putting yourself first, then at least think of it as putting yourself equal to the people you love.
Related post – How to Live for Yourself and Not For Other People
Choose to put yourself first and make yourself a priority. It’s not selfish; it’s necessary. – Keysha Jade
When it comes to taking care of ourselves and putting ourselves first, selfish is the word that seems to scare people the most. No one wants to be called selfish. It feels like a slap in the face when someone calls us selfish.
But let’s be real, people have their own plans for us, which usually means us doing what they want us to do. But what if it’s not something that we want? Does that automatically make us selfish? No, it does not.
Making yourself a priority is necessary. Not selfish.
You don’t need to live to fulfil others’ expectations. Live for yourself, love yourself and do not let them tell you that it is selfish. – Mridula Singh
When you base your life and values solely on other people’s expectations, you are in for a world of struggle.
If you need to work on putting yourself first, this excellent book can help. The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can’t Stop Talking About by Mel Robbins. I read this book and got so much out of it. If you implement the theories in this book, it will be a game-changer for you!
One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself. – Shannon L. Alder
We all have regrets. We all have to deal with shame and guilt.
One of the regrets that you don’t want to have is neglecting yourself. You don’t want to live your whole life doing what other people want you to do, instead of what you want to do.
There will be times when you have to compromise and do something you don’t want to do; that’s just the way life works. Sometimes we have to run with what other people want.
But the more you can be yourself, the better off you will be.
If you don’t make the choices in your own life, then someone else is going to end up making them for you, and they are not going to be good – James Altucher
You are responsible for your choices. When you let other people choose for you, you may end up disappointed and resentful. Not to mention angry.
You may find yourself living a life against your values. You may find yourself living someone else’s life.
One of my former friends learned this lesson the hard way. She put her family members first (when they definitely did not deserve it) and herself absolutely last. She did not protect herself from their toxic personalities and behaviors. She ended up losing everything (including her home) because she did not take control of her life.
Make your own choices.
Put yourself at the top of your to-do list every day, and the rest will fall into place. – Unknown
Our to-do list can feel like it’s endless. Usually, taking care of ourselves is down the bottom of our own list. We get so caught up in completed chores and tasks that we neglect ourselves and our needs. Not to mention, we neglect our health.
Feel free to keep your to-do list, but have a closer look at what is really a priority and make sure that YOU are closer to the top of the list.
Related post – 12 Ways to Show Up For Yourself
You can’t really be present for the people in your life if you aren’t taking care of yourself. – Kerry Washington
How much of the day are you present? Do you know how to live in the moment, or are you constantly living in the past or the future?
When you are trying to be there for people, you need to be in the moment. You need to be fully present.
Embrace that sense of presence when giving to yourself and to others.
Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept. – Anna Taylor
Setting boundaries is an important part of self-worth and self-respect. By setting boundaries with others, as well as setting boundaries with yourself, you decide how you spend your time and energy. You decide your priorities.
Teaching people how you want to be treated can be challenging. You are bound to make mistakes along the way. Don’t let that put you off. s
Stay the course and learn from your mistakes. Let the people in your life know what behavior is and isn’t acceptable.
You can’t control the behaviour of others, but you can control how you respond to it. – Maya Angelou
We know we can’t control the behaviors of other people, but deep down I think we want to believe we can. Especially the people closest to us. We think that if we act in a loving and supportive way, they will treat us better. Then we get disappointed when that doesn’t happen.
It’s then that we have to remind ourselves that we can’t control other people’s behaviour, no matter how much we try.
But we can control our responses. It’s not easy, and to be honest, it can take a lot of work and time on our part to be able to be in control of our emotional responses. But it is worth the effort because controlling our responses can help bring us peace.
Related post – Know Your Emotional Trigger Words and How to Deal with Them
You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously. – Sophia Bush
This quote really appealed to me. I can relate to it on so many levels.
As someone with a serious chronic illness, I am definitely a work in progress. But I am also a masterpiece. I was a masterpiece before I got sick. Getting sick didn’t change that. Getting sick did not change my worth.
Related post – 10 Powerful Ways to Improve Your Self-Worth and Self-Esteem
Putting yourself first quotes
When it comes to putting yourself first, you need to ditch the idea that it’s selfish. Ditch the idea that you need to put everyone else first. Know your worth and know that your choices matter.
You need to put yourself first. You deserve to put yourself first.
Don’t forget to grab yourself a copy of Mel’s excellent book – The Let Them Theory. 🙂
Read Next – 10 Ways to Make Yourself a Priority in Life