This year, help yourself.
Even if that means not helping others. A strangely selfish and cruel statement, do you think? Maybe, but I heard a phrase somewhere that is worth remembering: "I want to do the most good and prevent the most hurt, but I've got to put on my own oxygen mask first." [1] I think a lot of people are worried about what people think, conflicting opinions and interests, making mistakes or maybe creating a reputation that doesn't necessarily reflect who you are. It's likely these reasons that cause many people to put up a facade. Holding the doors open for everybody, laughing and smiling at everything somebody says, providing false information about interests just to appear more interesting. But that's not you, is it? Remember that you have 3 physical entities of yourself: The version that exists in your head, the version that you display, and then the version of you that a specific person has made based on what they've seen and heard of you.[2] It's this...