There are many different things that the average person wants out of life — ranging from financial success, to popularity, to the ability to form passionate relationships.
Ultimately, though, one of the key things that everyone is after is simple self respect.
The ability to look at yourself in the mirror at the end of a long day, and feel good about the person that you see staring back at you.
It’s been said that self respect is the core component in self discipline and in the ability to achieve goals in life. Self respect is also commonly a core part of self confidence — which can influence everything from the way you interact with others and how charismatic you are, to how outgoing you are likely to be, moment by moment.
While you may be struggling with low self respect for reasons that primarily have to do with your mindset and your past hangups, many of us also end up consistently undermining our own sense of self respect through engaging in certain habits on a day-to-day basis that chip away at our ideal of who we would like to be.
If you’re consistently neglecting basic self care, are acting in ways that are contrary to your values, or are embodying traits that you want to avoid, your sense of self respect is very likely to end up suffering as a result.
Instead of staying caught in that kind of loop, here are a few daily habits that can have the opposite effect — and that can serve to boost your sense of self respect over time.
Maintaining a sharp personal grooming routine, and paying attention to your presentation
For the most part, we’ve all been taught from an early age that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and that looks are by no means the most important thing about a person — and these life lessons are undoubtedly true.
But even though everyone has a lot more going on than meets the eye, and even though the way you present yourself or look doesn’t correspond to your inner worth, the fact of the matter is that the way we present ourselves will influence not only how others treat us, but also how we treat ourselves.
If, on a day-to-day basis, you are consistently skipping basic elements of personal grooming and are just throwing on an old tracksuit and looking unkempt every time you leave the house, you will very likely be sending certain negative and subliminal signals to yourself.
Signals like “I’m not a “good looking” kind of person,” “I’m not worth the effort,” “I’m naturally disorganised and unfocused,” and so on.
By following a daily personal grooming routine that helps you to feel well and truly sharp, you begin sending yourself different signals. That you’re a fashionable, stylish and well-put-together person. That you’re worth the effort you’re investing in yourself. And that you’re the one directing the course of your life.
This one step alone can often work wonders in boosting your sense of self respect and confidence.
Keeping your home tidy, stylish and organised
In many cases, it’s quite a good idea to view your home as essentially being like an extension of yourself and your personal presentation.
If your home is well organised, tidy, visually appealing, and stylish, you can expect to experience many of the same kinds of benefits to your sense of self respect and confidence that you can experience from paying proper attention to your personal presentation.
There are always a range of different chores and tasks that you might need to deal with around the home, ranging from things like contacting a service such as Labor Panes to do some expert window cleaning, to dealing with a neglected pile of dishes.
In any event, living in a messy, disrupted and chaotic home environment is likely to make you feel imbalanced, out of control, distracted, and frustrated — instead of helping to support the sense of confidence and positivity that you are almost certainly looking for.
Use cleaning rotas, daily checklists, and maybe even a minimalist-inspired approach to home decor, and keep your home as tidy, stylish and organised as you can.
Not only will this tend to make you feel better for the reasons already described, but it can also help to boost your sense of self respect and self belief, by serving as a reminder that you’ve got what it takes to structure your life and your surroundings in a way that really appeals to you, and is meaningful to you.
Setting yourself daily goals and targets and achieving them
Setting yourself goals and targets and then proactively pursuing and achieving them is one of the greatest things you can do to support an optimal level of self respect.
Essentially, any time you rise to a challenge and overcome it — and show yourself that you are capable of exerting the discipline, sense of focus, and motivation required to take control of your life — you are likely to end up experiencing an elevated sense of self respect as a result.
To shed a bit more light on this point, and to drive it home, just consider the opposite kind of scenario. Let’s say you want to achieve something, but never really turn it into a concrete goal, never give it your all to pursue it, and never make real headway towards attaining it. Do you think this kind of situation would make you feel more self respect, or less?
Setting yourself daily goals and targets can be a manageable way of practising this principle on a regular basis.
Engaging in a regular fitness routine
Engaging in a regular fitness routine, with consistency, has the potential to positively influence your sense of self respect in a number of ways.
For one thing, a regular fitness routine can help you to look your best. For another thing, it can be very motivating to notice yourself becoming more capable over time, as you train consistently.
And perhaps the most important point of all — engaging in a regular fitness routine will tend to involve consistently overcoming laziness and excuse making, and every time you overcome these things, your sense of self respect is likely to improve.
Thanks for reading and y’all stay dandy.
-Diego
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