We all get the generic, “How are you doing?” question on occasion.

For some people, they get the chance to boast about their children, or highlight the accomplishments of their spouse. But for me, I get to basically just talk about myself for the entire answer of the question. I can discuss my latest race, a highlight of my day, an interesting date, upcoming event. But essentially all of these things are about me. Does that make me selfish? Because sometimes I feel like it does. Everything I do revolves around what I want to do in the moment. Sometimes I have a plan. Sometimes I just go with the wind. Is this the good life? Some might say so. But quite possibly they are having a “grass is greener” moment. Which is understandable since we all do it.

A former friend once told me: “We are all innately selfish. We subconsciously do good things like volunteer and give things to people in order to make ourselves feel better.” I strongly disagreed with his statement when he said it to me. I guess because I didn’t want to admit that I feel better when I do things for other people and I enjoy doing them. But I don’t do them because I’m selfish…right? I just do them because that’s what my heart tells me to do.

Sometimes I don’t want to listen and I just talk to be heard. Sometimes I tweet or read unimportant emails to avoid making new connections. Horrible, I know but I have to be honest. I haven’t given back as much as I possibly could this year. And all of those things are selfish. I personally don’t always tell people when they have affected or inspired me, so quite possibly I’ve had that influence on at least one person in 2010, and maybe in all the previous years I’ve been on this earth I’ve been fortunate enough to touch someone’s life. Today’s society has really taken on an “All about me” focus. I have even seen interesting blogs about how 20 somethings feel this sense of entitlement. But quite possibly it’s because we were bamboozled into thinking that we had to follow this straight and narrow path to success, then we make it to graduating college and things don’t go as we were taught –okay that’s another blog entirely–Maybe the economy is to blame, or maybe we should just blame ourselves for losing site of being more unified.

Going forward I commit to listen better, talk less and remain less rapped up in melodramas from my personal life.