Self-Respect : Song Number 1
Odette
Hey you!! Welcome back to the “Garden of Music.” I know it’s been a minute since I’ve written here and spoke to you Bloomers about our “infinite self” so, forgive me, please. I had to do a little soul searching. I didn’t want to continue writing about oneself, and I wasn’t following my own advice or staying true to you all and, most importantly, myself. With that being said, I am back *claps hands * and… lets’ get to it. If you have been following me in the Garden of Music, you would have noticed that we have already “Faced the music,” “Listened to the music,” “change the playlist.” Now we are going to start the music with a song called “self-respect.”
So what exactly is self-respect, and why do we need it? Self-respect is having confidence and respect for yourself, body, personal time, etc. Self-respect is loving yourself and being proud of who you are as an individual. We need self-respect because how can you expect others to respect YOU if you don’t even respect yourself. We all need and deserve respect. I don’t care who you are.
Self-respect can go very deep, right down to how we are in relationships, especially the romantic ones. However, I don’t care to focus too much on that part of it but more on oneself. Self-respect is about staying true to who you are and not pretending to be someone you are not. Bloomers, for a while, like I said, I did a bit of “soul searching.” During that time, I realized I wasn’t respecting myself in several ways, surprisingly. I know it’s shocking right, but hey, I am only human. I think my main one was and still is, not having enough courage to stand up for myself when I am being treated in a manner that is less than I deserve. That is the most delightful way I am going to put it *giggles *. Let me explain a little. There have been several occasions where a person would disrespect me or treat some way, and I would sit there and take it and not “defend” myself. Before you say what I think you are going to say… I am a very considerate person. With that being said, I leave the situation alone because I am insulting when it comes to disrespect. Still, I rather spare the person because I always think of what the consequences can be. Now I know some of you may think, “Well, why don’t call them out in a nicer way?” well Bloomer, the God honest truth is there is no in-between with me; either I spare the person, or I am downright rude with it. I am working on that part of me trust me!! But it’s not easy. Again I say I am only human. *shrugs shoulders *
Respecting yourself is knowing your worth, and like I always tell YOU, you are worth it!! So it is your job to remove persons who don’t respect you. If you have respect for yourself, you naturally demand respect from others without having to do much. That does not mean if they don’t respect you, you must not respect them. Still, respect them but do it from a distance. “kill them with kindness.” While we at it, EXTERNAL FACTORS WILL NOT GIVE YOU THE SELF-RESPECT YOU DESIRE. All those social media “likes” and new manmade gadgets will not do shit for you except…etc.
I am still learning and teaching myself about self-respect, and I think there is a lot to cover when it comes to self-respect. Who knows? I may create a video or do another blog post about it, but before I leave you Bloomers, I want to leave you with a few tips I’ve learned myself about self-respect.
Figure out who you are first and what makes you respect yourself more
Be honest and stay true to who you are. Like my mum tells me, “JUST BE YOU!”
Stick to your beliefs and morals
Learn to say “No”
Acknowledge your own faults and work on them
Get yourself a relationship with God
Apologize without coming up with an excuse
Date the partner who is positive he or she wants to date you. (I know I said I wouldn’t go there, but I couldn’t help it.)
“Self- respect permeates every aspect of your life.”
Okay, Bloomers, that’s all until next time.
