R-E-S-P-E-C-T, I will tell you what it means to me… in fact, many things I am beginning to realize, so we will unpack a lot of it during this next cycle. To start, I want to focus on both outgoing and incoming respect. How are you showing it to everything around you, and how is respect being shown to you by everything around you? Is it fairly balanced?
There are sins against others, and sins against yourself. You commit sins against others when you do not respect God’s spirit in them; you commit sins against yourself when you do not respect God’s spirit in yourself.
-Leo Tolstoy
How many people and things do you currently disrespect? Such behavior often indicates that you are judging others which is a waste of time and energy. I am a firm believer that we can always learn from anyone and anything if we only maintain healthy curiosity and open-mindedness. Unnecessary judgements close us off from the possibilities of growth and improvement. We disrespect our own potential by wasting any time with disrespect.
You have to respect every person, no matter how miserable or ridiculous [they] may be. You should remember that in every person lives the same spirit which lives in us.
-after Arthur Schopenhauer
Are you accepting the respect that you have earned, or are you perhaps demanding respect from others due to some false or misguided sense of entitlement? In my opinion, the only worthwhile respect to receive is that which is freely given. If you are forcefully requesting respect, then you miss the true meaning behind it and taint it entirely. Any respect worth having is built by actions and deeds with time and effort across your life.
Don’t go seeking out respect or validation. Earn it.
-Jay Shetty
A final element to consider is your own level and amount of self-respect. It is a key factor to work on as well. While it is nice to have the respect of others, I would strongly argue that respect for yourself is of the utmost importance. Others may disagree with our path and our purpose. They may not understand why we do what we do. As long as we are at peace with the plans we pursue, then we can shore up healthy amounts of sustainable self-respect. It can help provide us and our souls with the necessary fuel and sustenance to persist diligently. It makes me realize that certain signs of disrespect from some can actually be positive indicators of our success if they are lost or misguided in dark spots.
To free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves – there lies the great, the singular power of self-respect.
-Joan Didion
By improving your respect for yourself, you can reprioritize your focus on what is most important to you. Where and on what should you be spending and exerting your time and energy? Respect yourself enough to mindfully choose what you do, feel, and think in as many moments as possible. We can all do better for ourselves and others with more respect being spread around. Respect is not an exhaustible resource we will run out of.
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell.