I f you are like most folks you have been considering changes you might make in 2018. Of course since we don’t like the word change we make resolutions to do or not do certain things. We will behave in a different way. We will exercise more. We will become more balanced between work and all other aspects of our life. We will do more of what we enjoy. And then we get caught up in life as it was and continue along the same path of habitual behaviors that caused us to make resolutions in the first place.
What I have decided to do this year is set a very specific intention that will impact every area of my life where I feel the need to make changes. I know it sounds impossible and yet by doing and being more of this one intention you will see your life and the lives around you change in profound ways.
My intention for 2018 and beyond is to be consciously respectful. It isn’t that I am not respectful now, however there is always room for improvement. Consider how different life would be if we were all more respectful of one another, respectful to and of all things, and most importantly, respectful to our Self?
Respect is interesting in that we can’t touch it or hold it in our hands. It is not something we can actually see, however we see and feel evidence of it in the way a person acts, treats others (all living things), and most importantly, treats them Self. Why is respect such a desired commodity in this world? What does it mean to be respected, respectful and respectable?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary respect is: To feel admiration for (someone or something): to regard (someone or something) as being worthy of admiration because of good qualities. To act in a way that shows an awareness of someone’s rights, wishes, etc. To consider worthy of high regard.
From this definition it appears that respect is given and experienced as a result of the way we are perceived in this world. The way we are perceived in this world is our expression of who we “believe” we are. The reason I use the word “believe” in the above sentence is that how we express in the world is not necessarily who we truly are, only who we believe we are in that moment of expression.
How do we garner respect? Of the many ways of “being” in this world here are three that are sure to bring you the respect you desire and deserve.
Be Respectable; be in this world in a way that would invite the respect of others. Honor life, all of life, and all that life is. Be the goodness in life you desire to see and experience.
Be trusting and trustworthy. Be kind and compassionate. Be understanding and magnanimous towards all others.
Be Respectful; honor all others for who they are; a human being just like you, doing the best they can within the circumstances under which they find themselves. No one knows the path another is traveling. There is the appearance of similar experiences; however each experience of life is unique to that person based on their thoughts, beliefs,
Being respectful towards others isn’t to imply that we agree with or condone what they have done or are doing. We are merely honoring their right to live their life as they choose, just as it would be our desire that our right to do so is honored.
Honor and respect all of life, all living things. Honor and respect our planet Earth.
Be Self-respecting; respect begins at home in the way we are towards ourSelf. Why should we expect others to respect us if we don’t respect ourSelf?
Self-respect is Self-love and Self-appreciation towards oneself. It isn’t arrogance, conceit or selfishness, although it is Self-centeredness, however not in the way we have come to believe self-centeredness to be. Being self-centered simply means that you are in the middle of all that is happening around and within you. It means that all you experience in Life emanates from within you outwardly.
Being Self-respecting means you honor and trust the fullness of who you are. You accept, honor and appreciate the body you have by nurturing it with proper sleep, nutrition and activity. You honor your Self with attentive appreciation for who you are, what you have done and are in the process of creating.
You honor your Self by being compassionate and non-judgmental regardless of what you have chosen to experience. Do unto your Self as you would have others do unto you.
You honor your Self by being transparent to your Self and accepting responsibility for how you express in this world. You are honest with your Self and do not cast blame towards others.
“What is it in me that this is so?”
Think kind, loving, empowering thoughts about your Self. Believe in your Self in empowering ways. Release all that you think and believe about you that is not supportive of the experience of you that you desire.
Respect is experienced by being Self-Respecting, Respectable and Respectful. Imagine if each of us consciously applied these three aspects of respect to our daily living. Perhaps, humanity would have a renewed respect for itSelf.
