“In the unlikely event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the compartment above. Please put on your own mask before attempting to assist others.”

Why put your own mask on first? Because you can’t help others breathe if you’re gasping for air.

The lesson? To be a better man, you have to help yourself first.

Being selfish isn’t an excuse to be a self-contained human who never does anything for anyone else. You have to be considerate, helpful and kind.

But not at the expense of neglecting yourself. Indeed, selfishness has its place.

Here are 5 places in your life where you can –- and should –- be a little selfish.

1. Your schedule

Your time is precious, yet it’s easily stolen or snatched away.

Take control over your schedule. Make time for stuff that’s important to you. Then ruthlessly guard that time. Don’t let anything short of an emergency sneak in.

And the next time you get invited to something you don’t want to do, just say “no thanks.”

Saying no might make you uncomfortable at first but trust me, you’ll be glad when you aren’t stuck going to your cousin’s vegan potluck.

2. Your hobbies

If there’s something you like to do — playing basketball, cooking, watching history documentaries, drinking beer, whatever — give yourself permission to dive into it.

Don’t just enjoy your hobby at a distance: become an expert. Learn it. Live it. Get up close and personal with it. Make it even more fun and fulfilling.

Try this: List 2-3 things you really like to do. Then pick one and figure out how you can a) learn more about it or b) become better at doing it. (Or, ideally, both.)

This can range from learning online to connecting with people who are already pros. Look for teachers, mentors, or comrades to learn from who will gladly share your passion.

3. Your opinions

How many times have you nodded along, given your approval, or watered down your real opinion, just because it makes things “easier”?

Those white lies or little omissions chip away at your self-confidence, bit by bit.

Next time you find yourself saying something you don’t really believe, stop and ask yourself whether it’s really appropriate to hide your thoughts.

Unless your honest opinion would have you fired (or divorced), speak up. Tell us what you really think.

4. Your ‘gap’ time

In our world of crazy-technology, most of us are occupied all the time with stuff that amounts to mindless distraction.

Even in a busy day there are dozens of valuable scraps of time. I’m talking about sitting in traffic, waiting in line, even just using the bathroom.

These moments are the gaps in between activities and socialization. They are small but they add up.

Give these moments back to yourself. Put down your phone. Shut up for a second. And just be in the moment for a minute.

5. Your goals

Were you satisfied with your life until you saw what ‘the other guys’ were doing on Instagram? Did you feel good about your recent raise until you found out another guy got a better one?

Reality check: You will always be doing “better” than some other guys. And some other guys will always be doing “better” than you.

Comparing yourself or your success to other people is not only pointless, it’s a sure-fire way to feel awful.

Instead, focus on you. What are you working on? How are you doing? What do you have going on that’s cool?

All those other guys? Forget them. Set your own goals according to your own values. Don’t compete with them - compete with yourself.

And if you have a setback, remember this: You are not a failure just because you don’t succeed at every new thing you try. The only true failure is to quit trying.