Southeast Missouri State University student publication

Monday Morning Inspiration November 27, 2017

Posted Monday, November 27, 2017, at 10:03 AM

One of the greatest qualities we all possess is respect. Yet, a number of men and women have no idea what respect is. If you do not know what respect is you can’t give it to anyone, and in return, it is not given to you? What is respectful to one person may not be respectful to another person. For example, some women think it is respectful to be called a Bad Bitch. A Bad Bitch is a boss. Well, for those individuals in that arena she may be a boss; however, if she leaves that arena and enters mainstream culture being a Bad Bitch is inappropriate. The word is very offensive, obscene and destructive. There is nothing positive about the concept, yet a small demographic of women have accepted its use and can’t seem to understand why they don’t get the respect they desire. Again, if you don’t give respect, you won’t get respect.

Respect first and foremost starts with you. As a matter of fact, everything starts with you. If you don’t respect yourself how can you expect anyone else to respect you? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary respect is:

  1. a feeling of admiring someone or something that is good, valuable, important
  2. a feeling or understanding that someone or something is important, serious, and should be treated in an appropriate way
  3. a particular way of thinking about or looking at something.

If you don’t approve, appreciate and honor yourself, in essence, you are disrespecting yourself. Take a minute and think about how you treat yourself. What do you tell yourself? Do you engage in negative talk? Do you doubt yourself? Do you often question yourself? What untruths are you telling yourself? We can be our worse enemy. Our behaviors and actions say a lot. What you do and how you do it reflects how you feel about you. What are your actions and behaviors telling you? If your actions and behaviors are unbecoming and not conducive to your overall growth and development, it is a form of disrespect.

It is time to evaluate every area of your life and fully respect your being. You only have one life and how you choose to live your life determines your truths. Your truths echo who you are, what you stand for and resonate your purpose. You have a gift and gifts adds meaning and value to the world. You are a bright and shining star. Allow your light to shine brightly by respecting who you are and where you are. Respect is a simple concept, and when executed by everyone it is a great and marvelous thing. From this day forward give, show and demand respect, and make the rest of your life the best of your life.

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