The Fruits of a Seed Called Respect

Before harvesting fruits, one must first have a tree; but before having a tree, one must first have a seedling; and before having a seedling, one must first plant a seed and look after it every single day with care. 

The same goes for respect.

            Building a good character starts by respecting your own self – your mind, your body, and your actions. Before love, success, and happiness, one must have respect for oneself as the foundation of these things. We can only accept the love we receive from others if we believe that we are deserving. We can only be successful if we believe that we are capable of doing so. We can only be truly happy if we recognize and appreciate who we are and what we have. And self-respect is a prerequisite for all of these things.

Respect is not given and neither can it be bought. It is something earned by our character. But earning respect from others is already a difficult task. How much more if we attempt to earn it from ourselves, someone who is with us 24/7. Because respect is such a fragile thing, a minuscule event may cause it to shatter. And once it’s broken, it’s hard to restore.

In the world we live in today, where social media platforms allow you to follow every move and scrutinize every action of someone, it’s hard not to compare yourself with others. Instagram makes you realize your flaws. Twitter makes you weak from toxicity. And Facebook makes you feel like you’re not worthy enough. It’s hard to respect yourself when little by little, you realize how small you are compared to others. The world can be predatory if you don’t arm yourself with the right weapons. And to win in this battle of self-appreciation, the best weapon to have in your stash is self-respect.

If we plant the seed of self-respect and allow it to grow fully in our heart, soul, and mind. Nothing can shatter us. No hurtful words can break us. No criticism will shatter us. No insecurity will make us crumble. Even if everyone else tries to break us, as long as we have ourselves to support us and believe that we are worthy, then we will stay invincible, immune from the hate around us.

Once we have self-respect, only then will we feel love, accomplished, and content. These are the fruits of planing self-respect for ourselves. This is why we must take care of ourselves every day, making sure that this seed will grow into a strong tree, so that in the future, we may enjoy the fruits that it will bear.

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