Self-respect is the absence of regret. It is the pushing of yourself to achieve what you are capable of, despite obstacles. Self-neglect is allowing yourself to just drift through life and not follow your dreams. It is never setting goals and never following through on your potential.

“Respect yourself and others will respect you.”  – Confucius

We can hardly underestimate the meaning and the impact of respect in our life. It might seem so obvious and so simple to respect yourself and others.  It might seem so crucial to respect your own choice and decisions, and value others people’s point of view.  To respect yourself and others without judging, criticising and trying to change is so simple and, at the same time, not easy to achieve. Respect is in everything, and it starts with the right attitude to yourself. It starts with self-respect. When we respect our own time, others will respect it. When we respect our own body, other will respect it. When respect our mind, others will respect it.

What is self-respect and how do we define it?

The meaning of respect is truly comprehensive. Self-respect is evaluation of ourselves, our beliefs, feelings and emotions about how we perceive ourselves. Self-respect is confidence in our choice and decisions. Self-respect is not only knowing our strengths, but accepting our weaknesses, accepting our doubts and fears. Our weaknesses create our strengths, and learning from mistakes and failures lets us grow. We do have self-respect when we completely accept ourselves as we are, accept our feelings and thoughts, our life choices and decisions. Even if some other people might not accept or understand our choice, the most important thing is that we do.

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.” –  Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Self-respect is about not being afraid to make a step in a different direction and try something that might seem challenging or unachievable. Self-respect is about self-value and self-acceptance. It is feeling pride for our achievements and having confidence in everything that we do. When we truly respect ourselves, we are not in competition with others, trying to prove other people that we are better than them, but we are learning and growing, proving ourselves that we are capable of it. When someone is taking part in the Olympic games, the most important victory is not beating the others and leaving them behind, but being the first for themselves, being one big step higher than before. It is being a winner for yourself, and being proud of colossal efforts and extremely hard work, that have brought this victory.

“As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others” – Robert H. Schuller

We are all connected, and, at the same time, each of us is different, with our own perception of life, our own feelings and beliefs. We can be united in one particular thing, and can be completely different in other things. We all have our individual opinion that might be very different from others’ point of view.  It is what we tru

ly think and what we believe in, that really matters. Confidence in our opinion, our choice and our decisions develops self-respect. We do pay respect to others, not judging or competing, when we ourselves feel integrity, stability, and inner strength. We are all unique, and all of us have something to be confident about and to be proud of. As Herman Hesse said, “We are sun and moon; we are sea and land. It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honour him for what he is: each the other’s opposite and complement.” It is to recognise our uniqueness, and value uniqueness and difference in others .

 

Posted By Ekaterina Voznesenskaia