Welcome.
Thank you for allowing me to participate with you in your journey to internalize the concept of strengthening self-respect.
Make yourself comfortable by sitting still or laying down.
Close your eyes.
Allow the muscles in your face and in your neck and in your shoulders to fall.
Help relax your body and mind by just listening to your breathing.
Breathe very deeply and very slowly.
Quiet your mind of any questions,
Responsibilities,
Thoughts,
And desires by just breathing deeply,
By staying relaxed and still.
Take a moment and appreciate yourself for making the time to listen to this meditation.
Take a deep breath in and out.
Let's begin.
During this meditation,
Feel free to engage with participating in the written exercises to come.
So for that,
Please open your eyes temporarily.
And now together,
Let's explore six ways to strengthen the respect we must have for ourselves.
First,
Reverse negative self-thought and self-talk.
Metaphorically,
You must stand guard at the door of your mind.
Generally,
We get more of what we focus on,
Good and bad.
Meaning the way you think of yourself becomes true as you rehearse your self-image.
So therefore,
It's important your self-image serves you,
So please take pride in the following exercise.
Right now,
Imagine yourself as 10 feet tall and dressed as a superhero with a long cape flapping in the wind.
Imagine your hands are on your hips.
Your chest and your chin are up with an expression of intense self-respect on your face.
Now pause for a moment while you hold this image in your mind.
How does this image make you feel right now?
Take a deep breath in and out.
Next,
Let's frame our self-talk in the positive present.
With feeling,
Please repeat after me.
I can.
I will.
I must.
Say it again,
With more intensity.
I can.
I will.
I must.
Say it once more,
With even more intensity.
I can.
I will.
I must.
I must.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in and out.
Second,
Realism.
Be uncomfortably honest with who you are and who you must become.
This is done by acknowledging your present self,
And then immediately raising your standards for what you are willing to accept and what you are not willing to accept from yourself from now on.
For example,
If you are not at your ideal weight,
Write down,
I am overweight and I deserve better,
And then decide to take massive action towards seeing and feeling progress until you reach your ideal weight.
Or as another example,
If you are unhappy with your career,
Write down,
I am unhappy at work and I deserve better,
And then decide to take massive action towards seeing and feeling progress in looking for new opportunities and interviewing for a new role until you get what you want.
So right now,
What in your life can you realistically be honest about?
Ask yourself,
What's not perfect yet?
What's not perfect yet?
Go ahead and write down your answer.
Now ask yourself,
And write down the answer to this question.
What price must I pay to evolve in a way that makes me the happiest?
What price must I pay to evolve in a way that makes me the happiest?
Try to be specific.
Is it finding a mentor?
Or learning a new skill?
Or taking an emotional risk?
Or making a financial investment?
Whatever it is,
Simply decide to get busy paying that price.
Take a deep breath in and out.
Third,
Self-love.
Every day,
You must recall,
Record,
And review something to love about yourself and believe that it matters,
Because you matter to the world and have value to offer via leading by example as you strengthen your self-respect.
If you are not sure how to do this,
Tell a trusted friend or close family member that you are trying to self-improve and you need their help by sharing the traits about you that they love the most so you can write them down.
Take a deep breath in and out.
Fourth,
Taking full responsibility.
Make a conscious decision that you are responsible for every aspect of your life and only you can make change happen.
Even if a disaster happens,
Even if you don't have support,
Even if you are in constant physical and emotional pain,
Despite your circumstances,
You must believe that your life is the sum total of the meaning you give your actions and decisions so that you become equal to any external circumstance that challenges your self-respect.
This is the mindset needed to protect your self-respect,
Like a shield and armor that protects a warrior in battle.
Take a deep breath in and out.
Fifth,
Take the 30-day self-respect challenge.
Every morning when you wake,
Simply ask yourself,
What must I respect about myself?
What must I respect about myself?
Then write down your answer and read it aloud before bed every evening for 30 days.
Take a deep breath in and out.
Finally,
Sixth,
Create and practice your commitment statement.
Write down a sacred promise only you can keep to reinforce the highest level of self-respect you must have.
For example,
I am a responsible,
Realistic,
And self-loved person and my past experiences were merely preparation for this moment to decide to self-respect at the highest level every day for the rest of my life.
My respect is sacred and to ignore that fact is to desecrate something that is holy to me.
Take a deep breath in and out.
Please take a moment to appreciate and thank yourself for the discipline you've shown throughout this meditation.
Take all the time you need to just breathe and remember you can return to this meditation whenever you please.
Remember that the more you practice this meditation,
The faster and easier it will work for you.
Thank you for taking the time to begin to internalize the concept of strengthening self-respect.
When you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes and let me leave you with these words.
It's a great day to be alive.
