Well here we are, fellow Uncommoners, at the final installment of our series, The Seven Principles of an Uncommon Life. Today I would like to introduce you to our final principle: Respect.
So far, we have examined six other principles that build off of one another to form the pillars of an Uncommon Life. In order, these principles are: Authenticity, The Personal Code, Desire, Perspective, The Law of Capability, and Gratitude. In our discussions of these topics, we have explored everything from their nebulous and abstract meanings to practical steps you can take today to bring them more fully into your life.
As we close the series today, I would like to extend thanks to everyone who actively participated in the discussion here on the site and those who have shared their thoughts and opinions with me. I encourage you to keep doing both – please feel free to contact me at nacie(@) thelifeuncommon.net to tell me what you think about the Seven Principles, what works for you and what you think is missing!
Now, onto the final principle…
I decided that the seventh and crowning principle of an Uncommon Life was respect because of the myriad meanings this word has. Respect for yourself, respect for others, respect for the journey, and respect for your life are all key attitudes that are truly central to an Uncommon existence yet in many ways include aspects of the other principles. Respect for yourself, for example, has ties to Authenticity as well as The Law of Capability, while respect for your life and the journey link to gratitude.
Respect is in truth a very personal principle to me, because something I have found during my own Uncommon journey is how little of it people seem to have these days. I am shocked when I become aware at the way I disrespect myself by I’m not good enough or smart enough, or the way I disrespect my life by eating badly (really badly!), or disrespect other people by judging their journeys. I am even more appalled when I find myself being disrespected by others because of my life choices – working at home, writing, not being in the corporate world, etc. Just the other day a member of my family told me I was wasting my life because I wasn’t living the way that they would if they were me, aka flagrant disrespect for my journey.
There is a veritable pandemic of disrespect across the globe today, which is why incorporating it into your life is truly uncommon. Let’s look at what I mean by respect from these four angles:
Respect for Yourself
Respect for yourself, as far as I’m concerned means that you give yourself the benefit of the doubt. You don’t talk down to yourself, you don’t overly berate yourself, and you don’t assume you will fail. Like I said, this has a lot to do with The Law of Capability. Respecting yourself means remembering what a worthwhile and valuable entity you are, and appreciating how much you have to contribute to this world. It means not underestimating the influence you have, and similarly not abusing your influence. It means you are confident in yourself, and no one – ain’t no one! – is going to put you down!
Respect for Others
This one is a little more tricky, and arguably the most important of the four quarters of respect. Respect for others means you don’t thrust your value system, your personal code, or your ideas of what makes a good/bad/ugly/meaningful life on other people. It is respecting the journey of other people, and refraining from judging, especially over small things (the way they cut their hair, where they live, what their work is). Respect is acknowledging that you don’t walk in their shoes, and respect is asking before jumping to conclusions. Uncommoners often find it challenging to respect others because we ourselves are often disrespected by others for our choices.
Respect for Your Journey
While I hate to quote Miley Cyrus, she said it best: “It’s the climb.” Respect for your journey means that you accept the fact that achieving your dreams will take time, effort, and more than one step backward. It is stopping to smell the roses along the way, yet also keeping your eyes on that ultimate goal. It is using the journey to grow, learn, and make yourself better, not just get from point A to B.
Respect for Your Life
This last part is not meant to be a political statement, and has nothing to do with pro-life or pro-choice. Respect for your life means that you respect yourself enough to take care of yourself. This means you eat well, sleep enough, exercise, and keep your stress level at a manageable place. It is basic care stuff, ensuring you have at least the physical and mental basics to keep you running smoothly and help you achieve your goals.
These are what the four quarters of Respect mean to me – yet they may mean something different to you. Remember what Aretha says, “R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me!” because really the finer points of respect are as personal and unique to you as your Uncommon life and dreams. This is why it is so fitting to me to have it as the final principle.
Respect.
There you have it, my fellow Uncommoners – the Seven Principles of an Uncommon Life. Comments, feedback, or suggestions are encouraged, and you can leave your thoughts here or through an email to nacie (@) thelifeuncommon.net. Stay tuned this month for more exciting articles, the monthly column Uncommon Wisdom with Shannon Bruce, and our 1 year celebration event!
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Another incredible post my friend. Honoring and respecting ourselves no matter what anyone else may say about the choice for our journey can sometimes be an incredible challenge. Thank God for uncommoners like yourself and others whose journeys you have shared in this space helps to make it a lot easier to respect and honor the choice to live an uncommon life, to celebrate the choices and to know as an uncommoner, Yes We Can!