I have a friend, Will, who’s a Native American. Want to know what the elders told him at a ceremony?

“Pray for yourself first. After that, pray for others.”

Pray for yourself first.

Your first burst of karmic energy is for yourself.

Make sure you heal the sacred space your soul calls home first before you pray for others.

Will said that he was always entangled in the crises of the people around him. Then he said he was slowly guided back to himself. He had to find a way to hold what he calls a “sacred space sanctuary” within himself.

Sometimes we have to walk away for a few minutes from people who want us to jump in their boat of misery with them. Sometimes people will call us selfish. They might say we don’t care about them because we’re not miserable when they’re miserable. People who want us to abandon our own priorities to focus on their priorities.

Do not be fooled. Put on your moccasins if you have to and walk away when you feel someone else is draining you. If you want other Native American sayings, go here.

Take care of yourself first.