self respect.

Respect is something that every person wants or expects. However, being respected by others has seemed to become some-what of a rare happening. Too often we expect to be respected by someone even though we do not follow the "golden rule" ourselves. Many of us have forgotten the most important kind of respect; self respect.

To me, having self respect is knowing who you are and sticking to whatever it is that you believe in. Self respect is putting your foot down when someone treats you in a way that you do not deserve. When people take you for granted, break your heart, step on your dignity, or tear you down in any way, self respect is choosing to walk away. Self respect is knowing that you deserve to be happy, and that happiness is found through staying true to yourself. Too many people have lost respect not only for others, but for themselves as well. It seems as though we expect people to respect us and be true to us; however, if we can not even respect ourselves, why should we expect that from anyone else?

Teach others how to treat you by first treating yourself with respect. If you do not respect yourself, it will be hard to demand that others treat you with respect.

"You should never be surprised when someone treats you with respect, you should expect it because you respect yourself."

- Sarah Dessen