The world needs more selfish people.

I’m not talking about rude, egotistical maniacs. I’m talking about the kind of selfish people who take care of themselves before they take care of other people. Because as the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup. That’s why selfishness is actually good for you.

Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strip, writes about this in his book, How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big. Here’s how Adams defines selfishness:

Selfishness involves spending time on your fitness, eating right, pursuing your career, and still spending quality time with your family. 

Most people think of selfishness as bailing on a friend when they need help to move apartments, or bringing people down with snide comments to bring yourself up. This isn’t selfishness, this is just being an asshole.

Selfishness is really about making your physical and mental health priority number one. It’s about finding meaning in your work. It’s about staying healthy and fit. It’s about eating right. It’s about doing all of this, and still spending focused time with the people you love.

Selfishness is about putting yourself first in the short term for the betterment of everyone in the long term.

Selfishness is Playing the long game.

When you are selfish in your pursuit of success, you are giving up something now to get more later. This is the definition of playing the long game.

You are investing in your physical health now so that your grandchildren will benefit from it when you kneel down to pick them up later.

You are investing in your financial well-being now so that you can give all the financial support your friends and family may need later.

You are writing that proposal now so that you can be completely present with your spouse 3-hours later.

That’s playing the long game, which is one of the keys to being successful.

Successful people are a net positive to the world.

Adams points out that successful people aren’t a burden on society. In fact, they are a net positive to the world as a whole. Successful people:

• give more than they consume.

• don’t cause stress or worry for the people who love them.

• become role models for other people to emulate.

• can help other people more effectively with money and resources.

If you don’t take care of yourself first, someone else is going to end up taking care of you. You become a burden on other people.

Successful people are a burden for no one.

To help the world, first, help yourself.

Once you’re successful, you will naturally want to help other people around you. Adams tells us that this transition happens on its own.

After he made more money than he would ever need, his attention quickly turned outward to see how he could help others.

Why are you more likely to help others once you’ve helped yourself?

Humans evolved to take care of themselves first (survive), and then their immediate families, and then their tribe, and then their country, and then the world. Once you’ve set yourself up for the rest of your life, you naturally take care of the next layer in this concentric circle outwards.

Secondly, you’re probably happier than before you were successful. And happy people are more willing to help than unhappy people.

Naval Ravikant tells us in a blog post that money can’t buy happiness, but it can eliminate many causes of unhappiness. Naval writes:

You can achieve happiness without financial wealth. Most of us recognize you’re not going to buy your way to happiness. But in modern times, you can buy your way out of common causes of unhappiness. Financial wealth can give you freedom and more time. It can give you peace.

When you’re at peace, you’re far more willing to help other people than when you’re struggling.

It’s not selfish to be selfish.

It’s not selfish to want freedom of your time (which is what wealth really is). And it’s okay to put yourself first to get there.

So go get some exercise. Make that fresh, home-cooked meal. Work on your book. Feel good about being productive and pushing hard toward your goals.

It’s not selfish to be selfish. You’ll end up contributing far more to the world as a whole in the long run anyway.

Start now.

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Adams, Scott. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life. Portfolio/Penguin, 2014.

Naval Ravikant’s article is called Happiness Without Material Comfort Is Playing on Hard Mode