The Power of Self-Respect

We respect so many people in our lives.

Our parents, our spouses and partners, our colleagues, our bosses, celebrities, influencers, and more.

Whether we respect them because they are worthy of our respect or because of fear from those who demand it. We show them respect.

But how many of us respect ourselves?

Unfortunately, many of us weren’t taught how to have self-respect. We have lived much of our lives being people pleasers, seeking validation from outside of us. This has brought a lot of shame and deep pain into our hearts that many of us still carry today.

Self-respect demands a level of commitment that isn’t always that easy to practice which is why many people carry their people pleasing behaviors to their graves.

You know why it isn’t that easy to develop self-respect?

Because self-respect requires you to know yourself completely. It requires you to accept yourself completely, warts and all. It requires you to be steadfast in honoring your true self no matter what you must give up or leave behind to do so.?

It is at this point that most people decide not to push further.

Many people hesitate to break away from life-long connections, toxic as they may have been. Others are afraid to leave that secure job, even if it is the furthest thing from the type of work they'd rather do. Still more are unwilling to give up the comfy home, flashy car, or deep pockets that come with a dead marriage.

Yes, it is a challenge indeed.

But there are ways that we can develop self-respect because it is never too late to learn ways to grow and improve yourself.?

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Here are 3 ways to raise your self-respect:

1.???? Raise your self-awareness

Before you can raise your self-respect, you must raise your self-awareness. Without knowing who you are, it will be difficult for you to know what you stand for in life. Without knowing what you stand for in life, it will be difficult to have any respect for yourself. You will be a people pleaser or pushover who is easily persuaded by every fancy notion that comes your way.

You can raise your self-awareness by meditating and praying. Make time each day to sit quietly and meditate even if it is for a short period of time, say 10 minutes per day. Spend time connecting with yourself and your Creator. Strengthen this connection to grow in self-awareness. The more self-aware you become, the more you will be in tune with your values and the more you will raise your self-respect.

2.???? Let go of what doesn’t serve your highest good

This may sound like an easy thing to do, but speaking from experience, it is a difficult beast to tackle. When you are attached to things, places, people that are no longer serving you and you must detach from them, it can be painful.

Take your time during this process.

Be kind to yourself.

Be honest with yourself.

Truly consider if the people, places, and things that you are so attached to are helping you by adding value to your life or if they are draining you of your energy, resources, and time.

For example, if you are in a one-sided relationship where you are doing all the giving and the other person just takes without reciprocating, you may find yourself becoming resentful, angry, bitter, and drained. This is not serving your best self. Ask yourself then, is this relationship really helping you to grow? If the answer is no, you may have to either set up strong boundaries or cut the relationship completely off.

3.???? Practice Gratitude

As you start to become more self-aware, you may find that a lot of negative emotions will start surfacing in your mind. If you are an overthinker like me, this can be detrimental to your progress. One way to combat the negative overthinking is to practice gratitude. I have found this truly helps to ground you and stops the negative thoughts slamming around in your mind.

Focus on things that are good in your life right now. Whether these are small things or big things, just start being thankful for them. By doing so, you will experience more positive thoughts which will help you to stay balanced and peaceful.

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As you declutter your mind from all the negativity by raising your self-awareness and cut off things that are no longer helping you, you will feel stronger about your values which will all help to raise your self-respect.

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Do you feel that you have enough self-respect to cut off things that don’t serve you anymore?

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Until next time,

Keep Creating!

Angelina

Creative & Motivational Storyteller?

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I hope you found this post useful.

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If you need help to gain clarity and balance by raising your self-awareness, try my Pathfinder 30 Days Mindfulness Journal.

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