The amount of fables and folklore stories I have in my head is starting to get a little overwhelming, but what else can fit in a sub 3-minute newsletter?

Today’s story isn’t about going from rags to riches or succeeding on your 74th try. It’s about putting yourself first. Realizing that putting other peoples needs and opinions before your own will only lead you to failure.

There’s an old tale about a man, his son, and their donkey.

One morning, the three set off for the local market. The father, walking beside the donkey, had his son riding on the donkeys back when a passerby scoffed, “Look at that lazy child making his poor father walk!”

Embarrassed, the father told his son to get down, and he climbed onto the donkey instead.

A little later, another person frowned, “What kind of man makes his little boy walk in the heat?”

Feeling guilty, the father lifted his son up so they both rode together.

Then came a third voice: “You’re overloading that poor animal! How cruel!”

Now, both the father and son were flustered. Wanting to satisfy everyone, they decided the only fair solution was to carry the donkey.

You can probably guess how that went. They struggled under it weight, stumbled on a bridge, and the donkey fell into the river. By trying to please everyone, they ended up pleasing no one—least of all themselves.

The lesson is simple: Every “yes” you give to someone else is a “no” to something else—often yourself.

• When you say yes to staying late at work, you might be saying no to your workout.

• When you say yes to helping a friend move (again), you might be saying no to the Saturday you really needed to recharge.

• When you say yes to every option and request, you might be saying no to your own sanity.

The man and the boy weren’t bad people. They were just so focused on living by other peoples standards rather than going about their day the way they wanted to.

People will always have opinions about how you should live, spend your time, and help them out. But if you change course every time someone comments, you’ll constantly be rearranging your life for people who don’t even appreciate it in the first place.

So decide who and what you’re saying yes to. Because when you say yes to one thing, you’re typically saying no to another. And just know, putting yourself first doesn’t make you selfish, it makes you sane.

Until next time,
Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I’m Currently Reading - “I’m still reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. A Roman Emperor’s journal on Stoic principles and the thoughts of a man who once led an empire.

Quote Of The Week - “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” — Oscar Wilde