Respect

Respect is an essential part of human life. What we do when we respect someone is that we recognize their value. When you disrespect someone you are really saying to them, “you are not valuable.” “You are not worthy of my respect.”

Respecting others is a silent way to express our feelings for them. It’s an unspoken way of communication which builds unshaken and strong relations between people respecting each other. When a person shows respect for another, it means that a person feels the other individual is valued. His advice and suggestions have importance.

It is very important to respect one another in any relationship. It is impossible to have a harmonious relationship when one side judges the other side to be un-worthy. For any relationship to work there has to be an over-riding high regard for one another, even if there are disagreements. How can you treat someone well when you feel they are unworthy and have no value? How can you be helpful to them when you feel they have nothing to add? How can you have a high opinion of someone who views you as unworthy and value-less?

Some people think that showing respect is somehow degrading. They feel that the weak people show respect to the strong and powerful just because they are weak. This is a complete fallacy. It does not show weakness to see the value in others. It shows immense strength. It shows that someone is secure enough in their own value to be able to look out onto the world to see the value in others.

It is also important to remember that respect is reciprocal. When you respect someone you will recognize the value in them. You will treat others in such a way that tells them you find them to be valuable. The natural response on their behalf is to respect you in return. They will feel that this person really does add value to my life. They magnify what is good about me. They bring out the best in me. When you do this for someone they will view you as very valuable to them and they will develop a deep respect for you.

If we are very deliberate about developing deep respectful relationship in our professional lives, what we are in effect doing is cultivating alliances which can act as a launch pad to maximize our own potential and the potential of the groups we are part of. We will all begin to view each other as valuable and will start adding value to each other’s lives. This is an immensely precious thing and is worth striving for.

I say to you all, with the utmost respect, have a wonderful weekend.