A friend of mine recently told me, “You know, Kymberlee, you will find a man who treats you with the respect you deserve when YOU know you deserve it.”

I know it’s true. My spiritual teacher, Matt Kahn, once said in satsang that our bodies and the hearts that inhabit them are works of art. I get to choose who comes near this precious work of art and it’s time for me to bring out the security guards in the museum of my life. I’m putting this here as a reminder to myself and anyone who reads this:

We are all worthy of respect.

So that I can have a better sense of what respect actually looks and feels like, I am going to define it. Two of Webster’s definitions of respect are:

“Esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.”
and
“The condition of being esteemed and honored.”

So, I deserved to be honored and treated with esteem. What does that look like specifically? Here are a few things that define respectful behaviors to me:

I am indeed worthy of respect. I know it starts with me.