There are great benefits to cultivating the ability to respect ourselves and others. The definition of respect reads, “esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability; I have great respect for her judgment.”
One way that we show respect for others is to be willing to see them in a new way. If we look at the word, ‘re-spect’, we see that it actually means to look (spect) again (re). We can also do this for ourselves. When you observe negative self judgment, try to see yourself differently, or from a different perspective. For example, maybe you didn’t perform as well as you would have liked in your last meeting with someone, but consider respecting yourself for trying to do your best.
Respecting others is a daily practice. We are often quick to judge and find ourselves unable to change our viewpoint. Appreciating others for their differences rather than expecting them to think or act like we do, gives us a great opportunity to respect them.
We all embody human characteristics and qualities of great value. Our ability “to see” this value in ourselves and others is our greatest gift.
Kathleen