Save others or save yourself?

I’m fond of giving the advice that in order to help others, you must first help yourself, but the opposite is also true. You have to do both.

I came across this passage last night in Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis: “The only way to save yourself is to endeavor to save others”, which makes just as much sense in reverse. “The only way to save others is to endeavor to save yourself.”

It’s a bit of a riddle but a useful thought if you are feeling stuck or unsure of what to do next. If you naturally gravitate towards spending a lot of time on yourself, make spending time on others your side project.