Giving up Selfishness

In an ever changing and dynamic world of technology and multi-media, I found myself caught up in selfishness and didn't realize just how far down that selfish road I'd gone until recently. It's really quite an easy road to walk... my happiness, my education, my career, what am I going to do with my life. To focus so much on ones self gives tunnel vision from the things around you. I found out that I was starting to ignore and set aside the things that were most important, my wife, my family, my son. I didn't want to do that at all. So how does one give up selfishness and should we?

I believe that our natural human forms are designed to think of self and preservation and survival, and those are very important things. They help us navigate the world, put food on the table and shelter over our heads, but I've found that focusing too much on those things starts to take away happiness, and why would only focusing on me detract from my happiness?.. I like me, I like doing whatever I want when I want. The selfish world that I built for myself seemed really great, but it was missing one thing....caring for others. I was only caring about myself, didn't think that my actions  really affected anyone else, when in fact my actions affected a lot of other people, including my own little family.

I come back to that question of how and should we, so the answer to both I think is.... service. Service to others is how we give up selfishness, and yes we should serve as often as we can, and what does that mostly imply?... Time. Do I spend my time only for me, or do I spend it focused on the ones I love and do care for.

Giving up selfishness seems like the right thing to do, but perhaps I should look at it a little bit differently, I will be selfish with my time and choose to not waste it, but spend it with those I love.