Question: The thing is, I am confused whether the word *selfish* itself can be used without expressing a negative connotation. I am a bit biased about it since I believe that by using this word it automatically implies that a third party will be affected by the action. 

The thesaurus provides *self-interested*, *self-seeking*, *egoistic*; *illiberal*, *parsimonious*, and *stingy* as its synonyms; and I am aware that some can be used in a positive manner. For example self-seeking doesn't necessarily mean I am affecting someone else.

In other words, will everyone who hears *selfish* automatically perceive a negative meaning for the preceding action?

Could there be a better word that could express a similar meaning without being negative?

Answer: 
Ayn Rand wrote a book called *The Virtue of Selfishness*.

As an Objectivist, she espouses [rational selfishness](http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/selfishness.html).

That page says

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> In popular usage, the word “selfishness” is a synonym of evil; the image it conjures is of a murderous brute who tramples over piles of corpses to achieve his own ends, who cares for no living being and pursues nothing but the gratification of the mindless whims of any immediate moment.
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> Yet the exact meaning and dictionary definition of the word “selfishness” is: concern with one’s own interests.
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The connotations of *selfishness* outweigh its denotation. To express yourself without a lot of hand-waving, try qualifying it with *rational selfishness, enlightened self-interest,* or simply *self-interest*.
Self-preservation
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> Self-preservation is the first responsibility — *Margaret Anderson*
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