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on blue mandala background - "the first duty of love is to listen" - Paul Tillich

What would you say is the best way to show respect to someone?  Is it to gush over them with compliments?  Do you minimize yourself, so they know you have elevated them to a position of more importance? And do you show respect only towards people who think the way you do?

As we are becoming more and more polarized in the way we perceive the world and our importance in it, I fear that we have lost the true meaning of respect.  For ourselves, for others, and for this world we call home.

Over the past weeks, I’ve shared two blog posts – Are you putting your needs last? and Do you feel disrespected?. I focused on how to show respect towards yourself in order to raise your joy vibration to levels that will improve your confidence and self-esteem. Self is always the starting place before you can influence what and who shows up in your life.

Today’s blog is about taking the next step by sending those respect ripples out towards others so that we can begin to heal ourselves as a people. In my opinion, it’s the pathway to changing the world.

So what’s the best way to show respect towards others?

By listening.

on yellow mandala - “We are sun and moon, dear friend; we are sea and land. It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is: each the other’s opposite and complement.” ~ Hermann Hesse

Last November, I wrote a blog about the gift of “presence” and how listening to the truth of someone is the greatest gift you can give them. To me that’s the real meaning of respect – enabling someone to feel valued and seen.  And at the end of the day, that’s what we all crave most.

There’s a beautiful African Zulu greeting called Sawubona which translates to “I see you”.  In a Huffington Post article, Glen Pearson, wrote that this greeting “ has a long oral history and it means more than our traditional “hello”.  He continues to write that it means, “I see your personality. I see your humanity. I see your dignity and respect”. In the African village context, where everyone knows one another, it’s an exceedingly powerful representation of understanding.”

man and woman looking into each others eyes

And what about saying “Aloha”, the greeting of Hawaii?  I learned that having and extending the Aloha Spirit is actually state law in Hawaii.  In a great book I picked up on my last visit to the islands called Practice Aloha by Mark & Judy Ellman and Barbara Santos, they quote the Hawaii Revised Statutes as saying: “Aloha Spirit” is the coordination of mind and heart with each person.  It brings each person to the self.  Each person must think and emote good feelings to others.”   

How beautiful! Can you imagine what our world would be like if every country had its own greeting that expressed dignity and respect for all living beings?  Imagine!

Let’s start now! 

Here’s a simple activity that I challenge you to try on for size for an entire day or longer if you can (that’s how it will become a new joy habit!)  It’s from Chapter 21 – Be Respectful of my book Being Joy™:

“LISTEN: Be a mindful listener today. Truly listen as others speak to you today. Resist the temptation to interrupt or to try to tell them what they should do. Just hold space for them and listen with your heart.” ~Gloria Stewart

By listening and “seeing” someone, you’ll be helping them to step into their own power.  That’s how we bring harmony and healing to a hurting world.

And until next week, keep your frequency high, your mind open, and your joy ever expanding!

Love from your Joy Mama,

Gloria Stewart signature

P.S.    If you haven’t already read my book Being Joy™, it’s a simple 40-day practice of replacing old self-defeating beliefs with new empowering joy habits. As your vibrational frequency increases, you’ll not only experience more joy, but you’ll also be a beacon of hope for others who have forgotten their own joy.  Please join me on this important Joy Revolution by ordering your copy today!

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like these:

Meditate on your vision
Stop chasing perfection
What is spirit?

 

Image courtesy of Pixabay.

 

 

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