We don’t often think of ourselves as an audience or a spectator to our choices, but we are. Every decision we make is witnessed by the quiet observer within us—the part of ourselves that knows when we have honored our word or betrayed it.

Unlike self-love, which has few, if any, conditions and can drift into narcissism or self-indulgence, self-respect demands a lot from us. It requires that we honour our commitments and uphold our moral principles practically. It requires that we repeatedly do what we say we will do.

Self-love encourages a self-acceptance without challenge or accountability, while self-respect demands integrity, discipline, and—most importantly—a steadfast alignment with one's values.

Self-love encourages a self-acceptance without challenge or accountability, while self-respect demands integrity, discipline, and—most importantly—a steadfast alignment with one's values. If your worldview is one of higher purpose and one that acknowledges the reality that struggle is a condition of life, ‘feeling good’ is peripheral. What becomes... See more

Self-respect is fundamentally different to self-love in that it is not contingent upon self-affirmation, indulgence, or external validation. Self-love encourages a self-acceptance without challenge or accountability, while self-respect demands integrity, discipline, and—most importantly—a steadfast alignment with one's values.