Self Interest or Service to Others

As mentioned in a previous post, I (and apparently a lot of other people too) was always taught that "getting ahead," etc. was what would make me happy. But then I was also taught that being unselfish and helping others was virtuous. To me those seemed mutually exclusive. So, I started out with the idea of service because I liked those people better than the self-service folks and wanted to be one of them. I did not find it as rewarding as I thought it would be. Of course, the problem was that I was trying to give what I did not have. However, since I didn't know that at the time I just jumped into the opposite and started looking out for my own self-interest and to heck with everybody else. Hmmm. That didn't work out the way I thought it would either. Pretty much everybody in my life got really tired of hanging out with me. Since I've been searching for answers for years and years, I've finally arrived somewhere with this. The thing is those two perspectives are actually NOT mutually exclusive. It isn't possible to give from emptiness. So, my foundation is my physical and mental health, my spiritual growth, my skills and my heart. From that foundation I have something to give. It's awfully logical. I can't imagine how I stayed so confused for so long. Maybe it's something that should be taught in 7th grade. I'm not going to have the life of my dreams unless I can operate in both perspectives.