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Self-esteem and respect are closely connected, for self-esteem is a form of self-respect, and the Self-same Self of all human beings agrees on what merits respect. First, we owe a certain amount of respect to EVERY human being. Beyond that, other people, and we ourselves, must earn our respect through good actions, generous contribution to life, and constructively helpful thinking.
We can develop healthy self-esteem by treating ourselves as a good parent treats a child. We give ourselves the love that any parent would give their child as a free gift, and we give ourselves the discipline and high expectations that any loving parent would also give their child. By doing those two things in balance we provide ourselves both the unconditional love we need, and the reasonable and right discipline and appropriate expectations that we need, to succeed in life.
Just as a child who is completely undisciplined and self-indulgent will not command the respect of others, others cannot be expected to respect you if you don't earn the respect of the Self-same Self that you -- and they -- are. You earn respect by being a respectable person, acting in a respectable manner, and, in fact, thinking in a respectable fashion. It takes more than good behavior to earn respect: Most disturbing and depressing and problematic things that you ever notice about another person are not what they do, generally, but how they think. In the same way, you earn your respect and the respect of others mostly by how you think, and in a very, very distant second place, what you do.
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What it Means to Be Yourself
This article reminds us that we can define integrity any way we please, but we can't define OURSELVES. Because we have a Divine nature, the Self-same Self in ourselves and others will never feel satisfied with lower choices, or with lower definitions of self.
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How to Have More Spiritual Power
There is a limit to how much good we can DO, and how good we can know ourselves to BE, even when we are doing our personal best. This article outlines a systematic approach to increasing our positive influence, without limit, by learning to live God's will as expressed by the still small voice within.
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What Are You Living For?
We will never feel truly good about ourselves as long as we are fundamentally living a selfish existence. This incisive article points out how selfish the usual life tends to be, and describes the revolution in orientation that leads to an enlightened life of fulfillment through loving service.
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