You may have read the title of the post and immediately retorted, "No, selfishness is wrong. Giving to and being there for others is what life should be about." I don't disagree with the latter statement. Whether it's helping an elderly woman cross the street or giving money to a homeless man, a small gesture that brightens one's day can be far more gratifying than, say, pampering yourself with material junk you may never even get around to using. But I would challenge the notion that being selfish sometimes is wrong. Yes, being selfish all the time is beyond the pale, especially if you have people (spouse, children, etc.) who greatly depend on you. But let's face it: Everyone is selfish , albeit in varying degrees. And it's not limited to spending money on themselves. Some people are selfish when it comes to their time. They want to do things according to their schedule, and there's little room for compromise. Still others want to call t...

Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), the first treasury secretary of the United States and the subject of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, once said: "Those who stand for nothing fall for anything." Hamilton sure hit the nail on the head with that one. I understand that not everyone is naturally bold and assertive. Many of us -- particularly the ones who call ourselves introverts -- hate drawing any attention to ourselves. It isn't a matter of changing your personality, for as I've stressed in other posts, you should never change your personality just to appease other people. It's about standing up for yourself when people level criticisms at you that are unfair or blatantly false. It's about defending yourself against insults to your character. It's about not letting someone get away with trying to sully your reputation. But Hamilton's quote goes beyond merely standing up for oneself. Maybe there's a cause you're deeply passionate a...