Tuesday is Dating & Relationships ^[1] day at AlexShalman.com

What has started off as a single article on the benefits of respect ^[2], grew into a follow up with 10 ways to respect others ^[3], and now finds us here as a full blown series. It’s often correct to take care of ourselves, before allotting the time to take care of others. After all, if we’re physically or mentally incapable of serving others, than we’re not being very fruitful. In that essence, we must respect ourselves, before we are truly capable of respecting others.

It’s also intuitive that if we respect ourselves, we’ll boost our self-esteem, which will than spiral outwards into how we treat others. You can imagine what kind of energy a person that does not respect themselves will give off. Let’s see how we can do just the opposite.

Respecting Ourselves

1. Take Care of Your Body. It’s not about how you look, or what shape you’re in. It’s about what you’re doing to better yourself. Yes, you might be overweight now, because you’ve slipped up. It’s okay, just show yourself some respect, and start by taking small steps towards a better you.
2. Take Care of Your Mind. You might not be a nobel prize candidate, or even a spelling bee champ, but it’s not too late. Expand your mind by reading, speaking with intelligent people, and spending less time on things that will ‘rot your brain’.
3. See To Your Goals. If you’re dreams and aspirations are sitting around on the sidelines for too long, they start to feel neglected. Respect yourself, by striving to achieve, and taking steps to obtain your life goals.
4. Think Bigger Than Before. You think you know what you’re capable of, and you believe you’re being fairly realistic about it. Chances are that you’re wrong. Your potential is an unmeasurable force that has no boundaries. So respect yourself by dreaming bigger and expecting more from yourself.
5. Automate Yourself. If you’re basing everything around motivation than you might find that all these hefty goals you set for yourself may end up fading away. Where motivation leaves, discipline takes over. Make a habit of as much of your life as you can, so that everything gets done, even when you aren’t motivated.
6. Time to breathe. We’re living in a fast paced world, where we’ve scheduled away everything, from what we do during a commute ^[4] to what we dream about at night. Go ahead, respect yourself, and schedule in some time to smell the roses, and enjoy life before it passes you by.
7. Dignity might be important. Dignity is basically a gauge within yourself that tells you if you’re being respected or not. It’s important to make sure that gauge is showing accurate readings, so that you know the difference between being disrespected and receiving constructive criticism. If you’re constantly thinking someone is stripping you of your dignity, than perhaps its time to steer your life away from this person.
8. The Sun is the Center. Consider that the world revolves around the sun, and not around you. With that image clearly embedded into your mind, you might make your decisions from a different place. It’s called being honest with yourself, and should be practiced frequently.
9. Trust yourself. Stop second guessing, and start doing. You’ll most likely be able to fix a mistake, but you’ll never know if you don’t take the first step and start.

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