That kind of guilt is really common. I feel it especially strongly when I've been complaining about something and really letting it get to me, then I inevitably hear about someone who's got it much worse than me. That guilt is a bear...it works the other way too. When I'm having fun, or working towards my own selfish goals (like doing 50 marathons in 50 states), I can also feel guilty for all the other things I could be doing with that time and energy for the greater good.
So, how do I reconcile that? I don't really have a strategy, but what my track record suggests is that I move back and forth between the altruistic end of the continuum to the selfish, or self-important end. For example, after a "binge" of marathons, I'll hunker down to get some home-improvement projects done for my family's benefit. Maybe that's the balance others on here have mentioned, but for me, it's not quite so intentional. It's more like paying back one end when I've realized I'm already out of balance. |