A recent conversation with a friend made me think if self-respect and self-importance are the same thing, or two different aspects. After giving it a thought, I believe there lies a thin line of difference between the two.
We often hear that you get respect from others when you first respect yourself. What you think of yourself gets reflected in the actions and behaviors of those around you.
The question is- Do we take this thought seriously?
Or let’s put it this way- Do we at first even think about this? In majority of the cases, the answer comes around to be- A BIG ‘NO’!
As I realised this, I was bound to ask myself the next question- WHY? Why do we fail to give ourselves the importance we are worth of?
In the name of family, friends, job, and various other reasons, why is self-importance tagged as more of arrogance, because of which most of us, not always but very often, tend to ignore it?
The reason this comparison crossed my mind is because, although we fail to realize, we sideline ourselves for the happiness and satisfaction of others. We assure others of their importance in our life so much that at times, they start taking us for granted.
And then we are left with no other option than to complain or regret, failing to understand that it was our own mistake in the first place.
When you give your share of time and efforts to someone continuously, because the other person is a close one, you feel happy at first.
As time passes and one gets habituated to you giving same attention every time, it creates a drift, when one fine day you suddenly refuse to keep yourself aside.
You then only co-exist for mere survival, with no excitement and happiness left.
There may be options to come out of such a relation. But if you do not have any such option, you succumb to the pain and suffering. The only way out is self-realization.
Once you realize your self- importance, you can make others realize that you cannot be taken for granted every time and that you, your time, your mood are all equally important.
Understand this… as soon as possible. Start taking a stand for yourself, speak up and stop making excuses in the name of the relation and other random things.
The sooner you realize that you are not bound to respect others and that you too deserve to be respected and made to feel important, the happier you will be in your life.