Respect Myself Say Whaaa?

"Respect yourself."

^^I'm sure we've all heard that at least once or twice from our parents… or maybe 1000000x a day. Whichever the case is, have you ever wondered what the crap that means? I mean like, pshhh, seriously, of course I respect myself. Duh. I mean… I'm an arrogant teenager which makes me think that -> me = everything important. I'm an egotistical narcissistic adolescent, so logically, I should respect myself…right?

I've kinda figured out that being a self-loving narcissist doesn't really mean the same thing as respecting one self. Gee, no way…

Self respect is, in a way, sorta like your pride. Your dignity, your self-esteem, your honor… It's what keeps you from going to the mall in a duck suit. Or for guys, in a pink tutu and tights. (Hopefully you haven't done that…^^) On a more serious level… self respect is like your conscience. The more you respect yourself, the more others will respect you.

For example, it's what keeps you (or tries to keep you) from giving into peer pressure. It's that inner voice that asks… "Would this make others think more highly of me?" or "Would God be pleased with my actions?" For us girls, a sign of self-respect (or lack thereof) can usually be shown in our wardrobe. Personal problem of mine… I love to be "on top" of things. Low cut spaghetti strap tanks, mini shorts, short dresses? Got them all. I like to dress to impress. Sure, there's always the subconscious thought of pleasing the guys. And yes, there are some guys who like that… but really, I've finally realized that all I want to do is go with the crowd. Please to crowd, right? But what do other people really think about me when I dress like that? "She has no respect for herself."

Maybe they don't think that thought exactly, but something close to that. When people look at me, I want them to think, "She's different then the rest." And not in a bad way… -_- I want them to see that Jesus is in my life. Or at least that I respect myself. So, I've just recently threw out a lot of clothes that would probably not be considered very appropriate. It was actually really hard… but I guess it'll pay off in the end.

Another thing - gossip. That's my pet peeve, and so I don't have any problem with trying to keep from gossiping, but everything you say will affect someone else. If you're always gossiping and/or bad talking about someone else, I can assure you that people's level of respect for you is a lot lower then it could be. I'm not a guy, so I won't try and name a problem for guys… but I'm sure if you're a guy, you can name some yourself.

Anyways, have some pride. Be yourself. Don't just go with the flow… respect yourself.

Peace

^^

Ang