The Way I See It: Ep 8 Respect is the Golden Rule

Welcome back to The Way I See It where we focus on Awareness, Attitude and Intuition, which I see as keys to more confident decision making and aligned living.

For today’s post/episode 8, which I have titled, Respect is the Golden Rule, I would like to touch on the topic of Respect, especially Self Respect, what that can look and feel like, and why it’s such an important element in our every day relationships and interactions with others.

I’ll start this conversation with a definition of respect that truly aligns with what I’m talking about: It’s defined as due regard for the feelings, wishes and rights or traditions of others.
And the definition of self respect is pride and confidence in oneself and a feeling that one is behaving with honor and dignity.

With those definitions laid out, I wanted to share with you ways I show myself respect, why I think it’s important, if not imperative to do so, and how that directly impacts how we can communicate with others with an underlying mutual respect in place.

Beyond taking care of myself physically, such as eating good food, moving my body in a way that feels right and good to me, and getting enough sleep, I also see my attitude toward myself as vitally important as a way to show myself respect.

Appreciating myself for Who I Am is the significant foundation toward self respect, in all my foibles, as well as my skill sets, and everything in between.
Here are some examples:
I respect my skill as an artist, in varying mediums, from pencil to watercolor to pen and marker, no matter the subject matter.
I respect my acquiring skill in music, from song writing to composing on piano. I make time for it because I respect my desire to express myself that way.
I respect all I’ve learned and implement as I work in our electrical contracting office and fulfill the duties necessary to running a business.

I also respect my limitations, of what I can or cannot do in a day. I respect the times when I need to take a break and not guilt myself for it.
I respect myself when I look in the mirror and see how I’m aging, gracefully and with full acknowledgment of what is.
I am hyper aware of when I’m being too hard on myself for my “mistakes” or perceived “errors” when I’m not satisfied with what I’ve accomplished.
I’m learning to be more gentle with myself and create as much ease in my daily tasks as possible.

I also respect my need to fill my creative well, whether it’s reading a good memoir, watching a good movie, or getting inspired by the art I see online as I scroll social media.
I respect my unique way of expressing myself through the way I dress, how I use music to communicate in conversation (which I talk about in ep 2 of The Way I See It Podcast), and The Way I See It from my many Life Lenses as wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister and friend.

Coming from that place of self respect, after having recognized the value of Who I am inside and out, mutual respect is an extremely important element of thriving relationships with others.
Recognizing the value of each one who I am in contact with and seeing that reciprocated through word, action, and response to our mutual ongoing communication is what makes those relationships meaningful and satisfying.

As I have practiced self respect over the years, I have come to recognize when a communication with another disappoints because of that lack of mutual respect, whether overt or subtle.
Sometimes it’s hard to detect at first, but wisdom grows over time with life experience as I engage with others, and I find myself most appreciative of that mutual respect that we all expect and rightfully so since it’s not necessarily easy to come by.

That’s why it’s so important to start with self respect; when you respect yourself and make the effort to appreciate Who You Are from the inside out, it helps us to gain more confidence when it comes to communicating with others with the expectation that we will receive the respect we deserve. And when that doesn’t happen, we can then, with confidence, draw a line in the sand and say, this isn’t working for me. We need to give ourselves space, creating a safe boundary from unnecessary conflict, no matter where it’s coming from. And we need not apologize for it.

If another wants to communicate, it must be in the bounds of mutual respect; otherwise, they are not recognizing the value of The Way You See It.
Just remember that The Way You See It Matters.

Allow the gift of your intuition to feel into whether or not you are respecting yourself and in turn, whether you are experiencing the mutual respect of others. And Act Accordingly.

A Journaling prompt for you:
List off the ways you currently express self respect. Get as specific as possible. No item is too small because sometimes the smallest of ways build that important foundation of respect that is vital to our well being.
When you’re ready, you can record one way that you would like to start respecting yourself more, whatever the area of life it entails. Perhaps give yourself permission to express yourself creatively or setting boundaries where needed. Whatever comes to mind intuitively in this entry, allow it to flow.
Remember not to beat yourself up when you don’t show yourself respect. Just becoming more aware of when this happens and why can go a long way to helping you align with Who You Are from the inside out.

The Way You See It Matters. Honor and Value that from the heart. Because your heart won’t steer you wrong.

Copyright 2022 Dawn Herring