For damn sure! There is nothing wrong with "Looking out for No. 1"... For the longest time in my life, I thought that my purpose was to put others first, to sacrifice for them. And I found, much to my dismay, that if you go around looking for people to save, parasites will find you.

Looking out for No. 1 is the first, and most essential step in creating a self that is -able- to aide others; rather than serve as their crutch... And you also can begin to determine those who will actually take advantage of the opportunity to grow stronger, and those who will forever be looking for another rescuer, after they've drowned the last. I've been on both sides of that equation, sadly. I never meant to be a cripple... it was most certainly forced upon me by others, and the primary weapon was shame. But it took quite a while before I realized that my primary handicap was self-inflicted, a consequence of carrying (caring for) so damned many parasites!

Once I cast them off... I could walk just fine. <3

And now I'm learning to gallop. =)