Self-respect. So, the word respect got lost in my vocabulary. I had forgotten its importance, not the one towards others, but the one for ourselves. I will tell you why.
First of all, respect towards oneself is acknowledging your worth and accepting that you deserve to be treated in a certain way. You are the one that defines how you are treated, and this comes through boundaries. The thing with boundaries is that we don’t always respect those either, whether your own or others. I believe that boundaries are set so that you accept certain limits and know what is enough for you or what is sufficiently satisfying to the point where you are happy. However, we are not taught how to say no at a young age. We are told that we can’t do certain things or that we can do others, but we find it hard to defy what we have been told because we were given those restrictions at a young age.
Nevertheless, when we are raised to be people's pleasures, we don’t know how to say no. We find it hard to do so, and we put other people before us. When we start prioritizing other things instead of ourselves, we begin losing sight of who we are because we become who others want us to be and play our part. When we prioritize ourselves, we are told that we are selfish, but you know what, fuk that, care for yourself and look after yourself because you are the only person you have until the end of time.
When I say respect yourself, I mean setting those boundaries and learning how to say no. But most importantly, it is knowing your worth. The moment you know your worth is when you have a clearer idea of what you deserve. When you do know or at least have an idea of what you deserve, you stop taking the bullsh*t other people give you; you start being yourself, and you start living the life you decide to create as you are setting your limits and pleasing yourself before pleasing others. And remember, there is nothing wrong with being selfish; just don’t hurt anyone in the process… please.
Z.
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