Self-respect means you believe in yourself – in your ability to achieve, contribute, and learn. You believe your opinions, ideas, and feelings are as important as everyone else’s opinions, ideas, and feelings. It’s a state of mine and it’s one that allows you to celebrate strengths, challenge weaknesses, and have an overall positive feeling about who you are and what you’re doing.
So, what are the greatest benefits of self-respect? There are many, but we’ve narrowed it down to ten.
Positive Mindset
When you have a high level of self-respect you also have high self-esteem, and a healthy self-concept, and that helps you see the positives in many situations. It isn’t the unhealthy positive mindset where you’re so focused on the positive you ignore the rest. It’s the positive mindset that can help you recognize the good so the bad doesn’t feel as overwhelming.
Adaptable
People with high levels of self-respect tend to have more stable, supportive relationships, which is part of the reason they are so much more adaptable. Whether it’s a move to a new state, a job offer at a new company, or going back to school – people with self-respect cope with change well. Whatever the situation, they find a way to adapt.
Open-Minded
With self-respect comes open-mindedness. You are confident enough in your own beliefs, opinions, and values to accept someone else’s feedback or recommendations. You feel prepared to learn from others, without feeling as though it’s a personal attack. Ultimately, there is one decision-maker and someone with self-respect recognizes that they know what’s best.
Self-Acceptance
With self-respect comes self-acceptance. You can accept yourself for who you are and you feel comfortable taking the time you need to achieve your goals. As your self-respect develops you start to understand that failure is inevitable and mistakes are going to happen. It isn’t the end of the road – it’s just a hiccup. But with self-acceptance comes the skill of seeing mistakes and failures as opportunities rather than problems.
Ability to Cope
Self-respect is exactly the tonic you need to cope with challenges and setbacks. It helps you recognize that you did your best, and even though that sometimes isn’t enough, it’s all you can do. Not everyone will agree with you, disagreements are unavoidable, but your high levels of self-respect help you accept disagreements and walk away comfortably without compromising your beliefs or self-esteem.
Outspoken
People with self-respect aren’t afraid to speak up for themselves. If you have high self-respect, you feel comfortable expressing your opinions and you don’t get flustered when someone challenges you. You value your worth, which means you value your opinion and aren’t afraid to share it. You also don’t feel the need to worry about approval or disapproval, for that matter.
Committed
People with self-respect are committed. Challenges and setbacks are a natural part of life. But we all handle them differently, depending on self-respect and self-esteem. Self-respect is an excellent way to overcome any setback or obstacle. It’s the commitment to meet the challenge and beat it, knowing it’s going to take hard work and commitment. When you believe in yourself, when you respect yourself, you are committed to success.
Improved Relationships
Self-respect is the key to healthy relationships because if you don’t respect yourself, nobody else will either. And healthy levels of self-respect will allow you the space to be positive about building relationships with romantic partners, family members, friends, and co-workers.
Self-Confidence
Building self-respect is a confidence builder. Your self-trust will soar and increase your self-value, which will help you maintain your overall self-worth.
Productivity
A high level of self-respect can contribute to a higher level of productivity. It can also increase the quality of your work and efficiency levels. Self-respect breeds self-trust, which is a great way to motivate yourself and ensure you achieve your goals, whether they’re career goals or life goals.
Of course, as a result of this, it can also help you advance in your career if that’s something that you are trying to do. Whether you want a pay rise, you’re chasing a promotion or you’re looking to shift gears altogether, self-respect is a helpful tool.
There are all different ways you can work on improving your self-respect, from offering to mentor others to facing your fears head-on and being more open to learning new things. Don’t spend time with people who drag you down or try to make you feel bad about yourself.
And if you can’t cut them out entirely, you can give yourself a pep talk with positive affirmations after spending time with someone you know to be toxic. Don’t let anyone dull your shine. The more you focus on yourself and doing what you need to do, the less you will worry about others’ opinions, which is a great way to forge your self-respect.
Stay Safe and Be Well
The Positive Professional 🙂
The Positive Professional 