Self-respect is a form of self-love
Self-respect is a form of self-love wherein a person values his or her own unique and unrepeatable approach to living Life. It is having an understanding and appreciation of the underlying character traits of one’s True Self—and most importantly—making life choices and decisions from that authentic aspect of a person’s personality.
This is very different than relying on one’s ego or False Self persona that serves as a cover to show the world only “the good stuff” of a person’s personality.
The reason self-respect is so important is that it is simply the gift we give when we become less persuaded to satisfy others to get their endorsement and more propelled to carry on with an existence of genuineness and individual respectability regardless of whatever any other thinks about us.
However, it is also very difficult for me to show respect to others if I am
lacking self-respect. For example, it’s the same as if I wanted to give money
to someone, I would first need to have money in my pocket in order for me to
give money to that person. The same goes for respect. I can only give it to
someone else if I have it inside me—for myself—in the first place.
“Self-acceptance and self-improvement are like wings of a bird; you need them both to soar. Self-improvement without self-acceptance will cause a nervous breakdown. Self-acceptance without self-improvement is a delusion.”
I think this is a great summary of self-respect. It is not just affirmation but rather a combination of belief in yourself to challenge yourself and then feel pride that comes with your accomplishments.
Self-respect is a state of recognition that a person is just as important and worthy as any other human or sentient being on the planet. One person is no more or less important but is significant nonetheless.
The state of self-respect would include the actions of taking care of one’s body, mind, and spirit, exhibiting healthy interpersonal boundaries, and being assertive in the face of people trying to hurt or take advantage of one. Self-respect is being kind, accepting and loving to oneself just as one would be to any other loved one.
A self-respecting person has the ability to recognize his or her own strengths and limitations and views limitations as areas of growth rather than permanent signs of failure.
Having self-respect helps others to see and treat you with dignity and worth
Self-respect is the knowledge that you know your self-worth and that you expect to be treated well and respectfully as a result. Having self-respect helps others to see and treat you with dignity and worth.
Often the backbone of self-respect is knowing your values and living by them. Having self-respect often means that you need to stand by your character and be willing to defend your values and actions. This can be hard in today’s world when so many influencers are out there to challenge our values.
That said, I would offer that healthy connection to others- either in friendship or in love- cannot come without self-respect. When we treat ourselves with self-love and dignity, we help set a course for others to do the same.
Without self-respect, even the most well-meaning partner, who initially sees their loved one as deserving the best, will start to lose this vision and will begin to see and treat his/her partner only as well as the person values him/herself.
Self-respect helps breed positive character
Self-respect is one of those things that needs to be cultivated as early as possible. Self-respect helps breed positive character and kids that grow up with this trait usually grow up to become people that strongly defend their values and beliefs.
Not only that but they also become people who take responsibility for their own lives and understand that their mindset is what determines their success.
And let’s be clear, success is subjective and can mean different things to different people – It’s how you define it.
So in short, self-respect is a big part of positive character and mindset which is so important to have in life.
Conclusion
Self-respect plays a major role in attaining and maintaining healthy romantic relationships. In order for love to exist, respect must be present.
Respect for our partners is perhaps the more obvious need, however, our own self-respect is paramount. Without self-respect, we cannot lay healthy boundaries, creating a space in which we thrive within a relationship. We also cannot truly receive the love our partners offer to us fully, as we will always question if we are truly worthy of that love, at all.
People inherently treat us as we instruct them to, and if we do not hold ourselves in high esteem, then others will consciously or unconsciously not see nor treat us with respect either.
