Can we have an honest, jerk-the-slack-out of ourselves chat, girls? Ever find yourself being selfish? Whiney? Critical? Self-absorbed? Judgmental? Self righteous? Moody? I've got three words for you: Get over yourself!
I've heard those words many times. Whenever I'm tempted to be selfish or send out invitations to my big, fat pity-party the little voice whispers, "Get over yourself! It's not about you, remember?"
Face it girls, lots of women are charter members of the It's All About Me Club. The media promotes it and the culture rewards it. Very few people know the fine art of being selfless and interested in others. Dear Abby once said there are two kinds of people in this world - the "Here I am" or the "There you are!" type of person. Which one are you? Are you the type that walks into a party and says, "Here I am!" (Notice me! Notice me!), or do you join a group and focus on others with the "There you are!" attitude?
As Dale Carnegie once said, "The key to being interesting is to become interested." It's an art. The next time you're chatting with someone make a mental note of who's talking about what? Is it me talking about me, myself and I, or am I asking them questions and focusing on the importance of the other person? Prepare yourself to be surprised at how often you are the star of your conversation. The summary? Let's say it together, "Get over yourself!"
If we don't pay attention, we'll be raising a generation of kids with the same self-absorbed attitude. The other day I invited my kids to our regular "cleaning party" and when my 11 year old asked me how much I would pay him if he cleaned the family room, I glared in unbelief and told him my price - "You can live in our house." When he asked me how much I'd pay him if he cleaned his bedroom, I told him the price, "You get to live!" C'mon moms let's sing it to our kids ... "Get over youself!"
We live in consumer society. We are spectators. We expect service. We take, take, take. As one person put it, today's mentality is: "Gimme, gimme my name is Jimmy." At school, we expect teachers to fix our kids, but don't expect us to contribute in any way. In church, we expect the preacher to feed us and provide awesome ministry for our kids, but don't ask us to serve." In communities, people expect something for nothing. We've created a culture of freeloaders. Hey there educators, pastors and community leaders shall we chant it to the peoples? "Get over yourself!"
Let's put it into perspective. What do you think about the person who attends your annual summer BBQ or your family's Thanksgiving feast year after year, but never offers to bring a dish to pass? The first year or two it's probably just fine, but by year three, four and five you are expecting this person to get a clue, right? Sure, there will always be takers, spectators, freeloaders, and selfish, gimme-gimme type people, just be sure it's not you. Whenever you're tempted to throw yourself a pity party, consume without giving back or be a self-absorbed whiney baby, just remember these three special words, "Get over yourself!"
Beth
