How Do You Earn Respect?

Have you ever thought about whether you have earned the respect of others? Even each and every day? Perhaps the most essential component of maintaining a worthwhile and positive experience is how you feel about yourself, and whether your words, actions and integrity are consistent and absolute.
more importantly, do you earn your own respect

 1. Most of us have treated certain individuals with perhaps a greater degree of respect that they might even deserve, because of a factor that is often referred to as deference. Deference may be explained as the respect that we grant to others based on their position, degree, perceived expertise, experiences, oration, etc. However, true respect must be earned to be maintained and meaningful, while deference is often temporary and/ or fleeting.

2. Is your behavior and attitude consistent, or do your words and actions often differ? Do you mean what you say, and say what you mean, or are you merely saying what you perceive and believe others might want to hear? Is doing the right thing the most essential part, or do you prioritize simply agreeing with others, and avoiding either conflict or making any waves?

3. Do you understand that there is only one form of true integrity and that it must be absolute? Have you ever focused on your personal integrity, and realized that without integrity, there is no honest way to actually respect yourself! in addition, unless you respect yourself, how could you possibly expect to earn anyone else's?

4. Have you consistently sought out additional training, and taken that training to heart by converting it to meaningful learning? Do the components that you have learned help you gain real knowledge, and has that knowledge enhanced your judgment in a significant and meaningful manner? Have you sought out combining your learning with gaining true experience and learning as much as possible from those? Have you transformed your experiences into usable expertise that you can count upon when you need to make any type of decision? Do you use these traits every day, or at least on a regular basis? Most importantly, does your learning, knowledge, judgment, experiences and expertise bring about worthwhile wisdom?

5. Are you consistently open - minded and fair, willing to effectively listen to others and learn from everything you observe? Are you open to alternative approaches, and are you willing to evolve before you must do so?

Real respect won't just happen, but rather must be earned! This will only happen if you dedicate yourself, at a very minimum, to the simple yet powerful steps listed above.