Self Respect Is Hard.

I’ve been going through a bit of a metamorphosis.

Here’s one of the hardest lessons I’ve learned from it so far:

How you respond to me when I make a decision that’s best for me shows me where your love lies.

It shows whether you love me or whether you love what our relationship (professional, personal or otherwise) does for you.

Most people, including myself, get this confused.

As a person who wholly believes in the innate goodness of people (it may be buried deep in some cases, but it’s there), I believe that some people can genuinely believe that they love you for you, but in reality, they love the relationship’s doing for them.

This is dangerous - because sooner or later, you’ll realise they only love you as long as the answer is “yes”.

Once you say no, and make a decision for yourself, the relationship falls apart.

You realise the relationship wasn’t built on a love for you, the person.

The relationship was built on your yes and what it did for them.

Self-love, self-respect and personal development are hard things to do - and it isn’t selfish (another thing I needed to learn).

The alternative is a life of complacency and mediocrity, devoid of true fulfilment - which is also hard.

Choose your hard.