Selfless Love (On St. Paul's Description of Love)

One thing that jumped right at me while reading Paul's describtion of love in 1 Cor 13 this morning was how selfish I am. Paradoxically, though, this discovery didn't discourage or depressed me. I kind of felt peacefully happy that I saw it so clearly for the first time. I saw that in all my relationships, including with God, I'm in the center. I saw that it is so hard for me to put the other in the center for no other reason than putting them in the center. For example, I love (with selfish love) my daughter. I sacrifice for her a lot, which I'm honored to do. But the question I was asking myself this morning was, "Am I doing it really for her or for that pride or sensation of goodness I feel after I did something good for her? Or Am I doing it just to do it for her without expecting any reward in any way whatsoever? Then Why do I get upset when I feel that she's not appreciating what I am doing for her?
You see, this is exactly what I mean when I say that I'm selfish. For me to love others I've to get something in return: their appreciation, emotional reward like pride in myself, or recognition. But why didn't this discovery depressed me? Why also the task of learning to love the way Paul describe it in his letter didn't overwhelm me? The simplest answer that comes to mind is: GRACE. I really do feel at peace, the kind of peace after you find out what the problem with your car is. (Maybe a bad analogy, but you get my point.) I know this for sure. I'm going to learn like Paul. I'll do my best every moment of my life to learn this LOVE with baby steps.