In order to help others, you must first take care of yourself.
Not by being self-indulgent, but by loving yourself. Charity
that begins at home, that realistic kind of attitude.

If you strive to keep your mental and physical well being in
good condition, you will then be able to help others, if they
are in need. Be they family, friends or close associates. Not
caring about yourself does not lend itself, in any way, to providing
tangible or intangible assistance to anyone else.

Keeping yourself ready to run, so to speak, for the purpose of
being in charge of your own well being, will insure that you
are mentally and physically capable of meeting any challenge.

How will you be able to provide transportation for a friend, if
your car is smoking, burning oil, has a flat tire, no gas and the
battery is all but dead. First you, then, take care of everybody else.
A good message to send to yourself would be, “I care,” which could
go a long way in starting the process, of having healthy self-love,
then on to the rest of the story. Be good to yourself, as much as
you possibly can, every day of every year.