Before you can earn the respect of others, you must establish, maintain and remain anchored to your own self-respect. Self-respect can be diminished through desperation. Self-respect can be given away to those we believe have some magical power over us, a power that we sometimes misguidedly assign to position, authority, title or those with material trappings that seem to us to exist in a rarefied air.
Self-respect can be diminished through desperation.
No one can take away your self-respect. Self-respect is something you give away. You give it away when you devalue yourself or you compromise your integrity on the altar of temporary expediency. Giving away your self-respect takes your permission. If you give it away, you can rest assured that you will never regain it with the person or those people to whom you surrendered this valuable treasure.
We must understand that the magic is all in our minds, that people are just people, we all end up the same way. So while we’re here creating and enjoying a life, remember, self-respect is dignity personified, integrity lived, and character on display.
Choose not to give any of it away!
