When you learn to love yourself more than you love other people, you are establishing an important boundary. You are telling the universe that you are amazing and you deserve respect, love and that anyone in your life needs to treat you that way. You are proclaiming yourself to be worthy of having good health, a secure environment, friends, relatives and co-workers that treat you decently.
When you do this, many people will be upset with you for a while, some maybe for a very long while. That is OK. You are the star! You are the talent! You are an essential gift to the rest of us directly from God. It is not only Ok to pray for yourself and treat yourself well, it is essential for your own survival.
We are not talking about you being vain, ego-centric, selfish or abusive. The reason that you need to “be the best you that you can be.” Is because that is what will enable you to better serve the energy of the universe that some call God or the Holy Spirit energy. This is clearly not religious energy. Far from that. This is the energy that God puts through your head, your heart and your hands to help other people.
Some people you can help and support their growth using your spiritual energy- such as when you pray for a person. Some people you can do physical healing with if you have received this as one of your spiritual gifts. Some you can help by clearing up their sexual/reproductive energy by helping them to address past abuses and release the pain and hate that may accompany them. Other people would benefit from you emotional counsel as well as your. In the beginning, you must learn how to listen, then learn and then you can start to teach, as long as you remember to shut your mouth and listen to what these people are saying.
Love yourself, first best and always.