Respect!

On my very long list of subjects I have been thinking about writing are respect and personal brand.  I didn’t expect my gorgeous 11 year old step-daughter to beat me to the chase!  But she has done a far better job with her school speech than I could have done with decades of insight, prejudices and studied language.  Her sweet yet insightful perspective has washed away the twangs of cliché and I am looking at the world again, perhaps just for tonight, with the eyes of a girl full of hope and promise.

Care to step back, take a deep breath and dream about a better world?  There is a lot of wisdom in these words.

Respect is that funny thing that many people believe they have but really they don’t.  It’s that powerful word people use, but do they really know what it means?

So what is respect?  Well respect is, in Google’s words, a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements, but in my opinion that is just part of it.  Respect is treating others the way you would like to be treated and being kind and accepting towards everybody, not just those with special abilities or qualities.

There are many different types of respect; there is respect for elders, respect for places and things, respect for different cultures and belief’s and most importantly respect for everyone around you. Multicultural respect is respecting different cultures other than yours. For example in 1788, when the first fleet landed on Australia’s coastline the explorers showed no respect towards the Indigenous Australians because their culture was different and strange to them. They thought they owned Australia, that they were the first “people” to walk on the face of this great land, but they were wrong. They obviously had no multicultural respect at all.

The majority of Australian citizens have great multicultural respect. One of the most fantastic things about Australia is how welcoming and embracing we are of people with different cultures, religions and beliefs. By welcoming people of different cultures to our land we are able to learn a great deal about the different cultures and religions of the world, gain tolerance and respect for differences and discover different ways of life.

 Respect is what we owe, love, what we give.

Open your eyes do you really see a world of respect and love? In my opinion our world needs a lot more respect to keep the earth spinning. You can show respect by listening to what people have to say even if it bores you to death, being understanding if they get something wrong, not thinking badly of someone because of their culture and most importantly including everyone black or white short or tall.

Being respectful is a great life skill that you can use in every aspect of life, from when you are young and strong to when you’re old and frail. Close your eyes and imagine a world where there were no wars or conflicts were you can walk down the street and no one will judge you. It seems impossible but if we all learn to respect one another that impossible can be turned into a possible

Now you shouldn’t just respect others. You also have to respect yourself. Don’t think badly of yourself because of the color of your skin or by the culture or religions you are from. Self-judgment is a big problem. If you feel bad about yourself on the inside you will see it on the outside. It doesn’t matter what you look or sound like, it matters on what you are like on the inside. You could be exceptionally attractive on the outside but extremely horrid on the inside.

The world could be a wonderful place if we all respect one another. You can make a difference help the people of our world keep our planet spinning for generations to come.

I don’t care if you’re black, white, short, tall, skinny, rich or poor.  If you respect me I’ll respect you.

And you know what?  I think she is right.  It actually is that easy.  Want to make a difference to someone’s life?  Share and show that you care!

First published at linkedin.com.