The Importance of Self-Respect PDF
The Importance of Self-Respect PDF
The Importance of Self-Respect PDF
When all is said and done, the only thing that really matters in life is being happy. Not just
content, not just satisfied, but fulfilled and full of meaning. This is a hard goal to reach, and
one that’s impossible to live up to all the time. Life is a series of waves, of peaks and
troughs, of ups and downs. No one is happy all the time. We tend to experience more lows
than highs, and those lows can be much more intense than the highs are. It’s rare to be in a
low point in your life and not know it, but it’s all too easy to be living well and to not fully
appreciate it.
The best way to improve your life is to have self-respect. To demand that others treat you
the way you’d treat them – with compassion and respect.
Here are 10 ways to increase your self-respect and improve your life.
1. Don’t allow yourself to be used
People will attempt to take advantage of you throughout your life. Realising when this is
happening can be difficult. People are often sly and manipulative.
Part of having self-respect is being able to turn people down when you don’t want to do
something. Be in control of your life. Tell people ‘no’, and stick to your word.
Not everyone you meet will like you, and that’s okay. It would be weird if they did. People are
different, people like different things. Some people aren’t nice people. Life goes on.
However, don’t use this as an excuse to be rude and nasty to people because “who cares
what they think?”. Treating others the way you’d like to be treated is an important part of
having self-respect.
4. Have integrity
Integrity is perhaps the most important and elusive of those traits vital to a sense of
self-respect. It means holding yourself accountable to your own moral code and principles,
and sticking up for what is right – even when (especially when) it’s not beneficial to you
personally to do so. The high road is a tough one to tread, but it’s infinitely rewarding.
Don’t allow yourself to be a pushover. In an ideal world, everyone would be nice to each
other and we’d all get along. Unfortunately, the real world isn’t like that. When it really comes
down to it, you need to have your own back and be willing to get your hands dirty to defend
yourself.
6. Know yourself, know your worth
Have confidence in your abilities. Everyone is good at something, even if you haven’t figured
out what that something is yet. Keep trying new things until you do. You have value and you
matter. Remember that.
If being happy is the most important thing in life, then doing whatever makes you happy is
the best way to ensure you enjoy your life. As long as it’s not hurting anyone else, do
whatever it is you enjoy doing.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking money is the most important commodity in life. Time is.
Spend it wisely, doing the things you love and with the people who matter most to you. Once
the time is gone, you can’t get it back. Don’t be a person full of regret on their deathbed,
thinking of all the things they should have done with the time they had. Your life is ending
one second at a time.
We often try (and more often fail) to juggle a large number of different things. Prioritise which
ones really matter to you and to your self-growth and focus on these, learning to balance
them so that you can healthily and realistically manage all the areas of your life.
One of the most important lessons to learn when it comes to having self-respect is how to
deal with life’s problems in a healthy and constructive manner. It can be all too tempting at
times to drown your sorrows at the bottom of a bottle. The best thing you can do to keep
yourself focused and healthy mentally is to meditate often. It’s a skill – practice it. No one is
perfect at it straight away, but stick with it and it will help you to become a better, happier
person in the long run. Keep in mind that the idea isn’t to silence your thoughts, but to let
them come before calmly and gently reminding yourself to try and focus on breathing and
keeping a clear mind.
Written by Maverick,
Staff writter for Lessons Learned In Life, Inc.