♥ RESPECTFUL RELATING
By Joseph P. Faust, Founder LoveLife University
There are four kinds of RESPECTFUL RELATING:
- Respecting yourself as an individual. Respecting the uniqueness of your time-space reality, your values, needs, desires, and dreams.
- Respecting another person and how they want to relate to you. Honoring their boundaries, values, and preferences for how you relate with them.
- Respecting yourself in how you relate to another person. Honoring your boundaries, values, and preferences related to another person.
- Respecting the space and the environment of others, and your own; and the environment future generations will inherit, this beautiful planet.
Whether you recognize it or not, everyone has their vote related to how they experience you; business and families are both a team experience. Respecting yourself and others is a smart choice to create ease and joy in your life experience. The alternative to self-respect is to dishonor yourself, which only leads to contempt for yourself and others.
I feel it can be useful to recognize:
- Everyone has something special to offer the world.
- Everyone can provide certain kinds of value (even if it’s not immediately clear how).
- Everyone comes from a different place, and they bring with this an experience and wisdom that is unique (they may know things you don’t know).
- Men and Women are different and both valuable. Let’s respect and celebrate our differences.
- Trust that each person has redeeming qualities that, when revealed, may inspire and delight you.
I feel it can be useful to practice:
- Being tactful, courteous, and showing some charm.
- Being thoughtful and generous by demonstrating appreciation, honor, and love.
- Be curious. Noticing what matters to another, matters!
- Be considerate, empathetic, honoring, and reliable.. each contributes to building trust.
- Acknowledge how much you value another.
To relate respectfully is powerful. Everyone wants to feel honored, respected, and worthy of celebration. Have regard for the boundaries, feelings, wishes, rights, and traditions of others; and kindness is important too! This is the power and the magic of RESPECTFUL RELATING.
“My religion is kindness.” –Dalai Lama