Losing your life to save it

As a preacher's kid I was exposed to alot of Bible verses which stuck in my head because they made no sense. I was also fortunate that my father, the preacher in my life, was genuinely intellectual and knew that the words in the Bible could not be taken literally. Many times he would look up the passages in the original Hebrew or Greek and explain the nuances that can't be translated directly word-for-word.

With this background, old stories stuck in my head since childhood seem to me like ancient wisdom - more poetry than fact.

Someone recently told me she is seeking to nurture self-love. Something didn't seem right to me and I looked up the reference that was stuck in my head in essence but not specificity.

Matthew 16:25 "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it."

Not being a literalist, I find this passage has truth in my life in this way: when seeking happiness, it is elusive. When I lose myself into concern for someone else or a great task, I feel truly alive and lose all self awareness, thereby becoming fully alive.