You Can't Please Everybody, But There Is One Person You Should Always Aim To Please

   It has been said (and written, repeatedly) that the only person on the planet that you should be worrying about pleasing is yourself.

   Which is on the surface probably one of the most selfish, egotistical, narcissistic statements that one can state (either aloud or on paper).

   Except it's not, when put into context.

   There is no doubt that being altruistic, compassionate, egalitarian (whatever term you want to use to describe putting the needs of others before oneself) can be beneficial to the mental and emotional well-being of a person, but it is also true that being communalistic can be an incredible mental, emotional, and even physical drain on a person

   The context I've come to understand the whole "you gotta please yourself" concept in is not one of indulging one's every whim willy-nilly or leading a life of greedy, amoral hedonism, it is the context of being aware that the actions you undertake today, the thoughts you allow to shape your worldview today, the ideals and philosophy's you adapt as part of your personality today, the exercises you participate in...all have an effect on the one person that should matter the most to you.

   That person is the person you will eventually develop into, the person you will be 10, 20, or 50 years from now.

   Think about it. How pleased is your future self going to be with your current self for making the effort to get a solid education, learn a productive trade, plant and cultivate seeds that eventually bear good fruit (metaphor alert - that translates into developing good and healthy habits)? How pleased do you think your future self is going to be if you make the effort to keep yourself physically fit? How pleased is your future self going to be if you brush your teeth every day and see a Dentist at least twice a year? 

   The answer to those questions is, "Incredibly so". Your future self is going to be incredibly pleased with your past self if you do those things. 

   Those actions are what I call truly pleasing yourself, mainly because all the crap I did in my glorious misspent youth that have me taking (and paying for) corrective actions is just not very pleasing, and makes me regard past me as a bit of a wreckless, rapacious jerk.

   So yeah, please yourself - your future self - by being aware that eventually you are going to have to live in the future with the mind, body and soul you are building (or destroying) today.