Are you in need of a self-respect boost? You might if you’re exhibiting any or all of these five tell-tale signs that you don’t respect yourself. Make the rest of this year and beyond all about loving yourself.
5 Tell-Tale Signs You Don’t Respect Yourself
1. You Put Others’ Needs Ahead of Yours
You might think you’re doing the “nice” thing by being thoughtful, or maybe you’re a “giver,” but by always putting others’ needs before your own, you are telling the universe that other people are more important than you are, which isn’t true. I am a huge proponent of the oxygen mask theory: you can’t help others unless you help yourself first. Get your affairs in order, and if you have any remaining time and energy, then you can offer to help your friends and loved ones.
2. You Bite Your Tongue
Sometimes it’s easier to avoid a fight over something silly and meaningless by ignoring something rude that someone said. But other times you need to speak up for yourself. No one else is going to stand up for you or your beliefs. If a person challenges something that you feel very strongly about, try to have a calm discussion with them about why they made you upset and come to a positive and well-meaning resolution for the both of you.
3. You Are Too Ambitious
If you’re always focused on planning for the next goal, you never have time to enjoy the success of the current one. Respect yourself and your accomplishments and what you have achieved, and figure out what you want to do next, instead of just diving straight into the next project.
4. You’re Faking It
We’ve all enhanced or alluded to some part of our personality or skillset that wasn’t entirely accurate to impress someone. But this is one of the most significant signs that we don’t respect ourselves because by doing this we are telling ourselves we are not good enough the way we are, that we have to employ deceit in some way to be enough. Find out what you need to feel enough for yourself, and you will start to respect yourself.
5. You Try to Please Everyone
When you try to please everyone and help everyone, you stretch yourself so thin that you can’t do a good job. Worry about making yourself happy and then create a game plan for how to tackle the things on your to-do list from other people.
What are you doing to respect yourself more? Tweet me @lorenridinger and I’ll retweet to share my favorites.
