Respect

This is something that a student wrote, but that I felt was too good just to let lie where it was placed at that time. The students has elected to remain anonymous.

“Respect is all about regard for others – a deliberate choice to considers others’ well-being. The most difficult first step in learning respect is to take the focus off yourself. You also might practice the following:

· Commit to the golden rule – treat others as you desire to be treated.
· San “please” and “thank-you” whenever you can.
· Remind yourself that the other person is worthy of your kindness because he/she is a person.
· Use calm voice tones.
· Smile at others – it can help lift their bad moods.
· Celebrate differences between you an others – don’t expect them to change just for you.
· Do not judge, size up or criticise others.
· Tell yourself that you can’t read minds and you don’t know what suffering or issues other people may have had.
· Try and become more aware of people around you and how you can help them.
· Let someone else be first, right, in the spotlight etc.
· Be the first to say, “I’m sorry.”
· Stop demanding respect from others as much and start to lavish others with it.”Many thanks go to the student who put this together. I hope that others get as much from it as I have done.