Expressions of Love

Hello, My friends,

This week we have been confronted with shocking violence and fear, strength and hatred, also love and vulnerability. It has been a time for reflection and confrontation. I believe everyone regardless of colour, religion, ethnic background, gender and financial status are entitled to be treated with respect and kindness.

Today I want to have a peek at what respect is and how we can incorporate it in our lives a little more.

What is respect? The dictionary definition of respect is

1/ A feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.

2/ Due regard for the feelings, wishes, or rights of others.

Respect to me is a way of showing, treating or thinking of someone or something.

How do we show respect for others? How do we treat others that reveals the respect we have for them? What does our thinking have to do with respecting others?

There are many ways we show respect to people and things.

I’m going to share the 6 ways to show respect that I’ve been working on in my life.

• Listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. So we can hear in stereo and listen twice as often as we speak. Have you ever found yourself thinking of the next thing you’re going to say. Even before the person speaking has finished? In my family we have someone who has a stammer, it is really easy to finish the words that are being spoken for them, presuming you know what they’re going to say, just so you can say your bit. By stopping your mind rattling on ahead, and actually listening to what is being said, thinking about their words and beliefs, is a sign of respecting them as a person. The words you say are an indication of who you are and what you think about the world and everything that happens in it. By learning to actively listen we show the speaker that their opinion is valued.
• Declare. Make a statement, acknowledge, let someone know that you value them, that they matter to you. That you see the good characteristics in their personality. You show they are good enough just they way they are. By declaring to someone the positive you see in them, you show respect and raise the value of who they are. Affirming that they are important and that they make a difference. ” You dealt with that extremely sensitive situation with great tact.”
• Service. Everything we do is about serving someone. As we serve others we offer them value. Think about how you serve those around you? You receive service when you purchase products. You give service when some-one else purchases from you. Service is given when people do things for you, such as the plumber, electrician, the accountant, and contractor. Most people trade time, services and expertise for money. What if you decided to show respect to your customers and clients by giving a little more service than what they are paying for. And as a customer or client you gave respect to those working to serve us by being kind and polite. That leads me onto the next way to show respect to someone.
• Kindness. Be kind. Kindness and Service walk hand in hand. Being kind is giving someone a hand up when they fall down. It’s offering help when you see someone in need. Kindness is choosing to with-hold the nasty quip that jumps to mind, it is speaking words of encouragement, it is being generous. By showing kindness you show respect for other people, you indicate you respect their feelings and their values in a tangible way.
• Politeness. Being polite is using good manners and is related to kindness and service. You show respect to someone when you speak politely, using manners, opening a door, waiting your turn instead of pushing in, choosing to use your words to uplift others when on social media rather than tearing people down because they have a differing view. Politeness is driving your car responsibly, you show respect to those who are sharing your space by not having your music so loud others can’t hear the conversation. By being polite you offer to value to other peoples way of thinking and being, and when it is reciprocated your environment is a much friendlier place.
• Thankfulness. Gratitude, and Appreciation. Being thankful is noticing when some-one opens the door for you and you acknowledging them shows respect. Respecting people who do you a service with a “Thank You” or “You’re welcome.” Lets others know you appreciate their acts of kindness and politeness. Showing gratitude with the nod of a head, or waving to let them know you saw the kindness, is giving respect. When you live with a thankful attitude, you tend to give and get more respect and appreciation.

The way we think has a lot to do with who and how we show respect to our fellow humans.

Remember: Our Beliefs are created by our thoughts, Our thoughts determine our feelings which create our actions, and it’s our actions that show how we respect others and our selves.

This week I want to challenge you to include one if not all of the six ways we can show respect, into your interactions with the people in your sphere of influence. Be the one who makes a difference this week.

Until next week, be your kindest, most respectful and thankful authentic self.

Cheers

Linda Codlin