Respect

It's All About Standards

Photo by Árpád Czapp on Unsplash

Respect is one of those terms that often gets thrown around without people actually showing up and meaning it, let alone understanding it.

Respect in the context of a Startup or project (to me) means that it can only work if there is respect around the table, starting from its users to the people that run the company, and the energy that emits when intertwined.

When I created my first forum in 2012, I had no clue what I was doing.

There are so many things wrong with this dusty picture; things that in hindsight, I could have done differently, but I wouldn’t change the past.

Why?

It's all about respect. We can face the embarrassment of looking like beginners or the pain of not taking action at all because we don't want to look like beginners in the eyes of others.

One says, “I'm okay with sucking in the beginning if it means I can grow and evolve and create better things in the future”, while the other simply hides in fear.

Often, the harder thing to do will also be the one that yields the best results.

After all, life is a form of art. It's about accumulating wisdom and knowledge through experience, just as much as it is about living your life and getting your heart broken. We all fight a war. It's who we choose to become and what we choose to create with the experiences that define us.

Eventually, some short years after creating that forum, things changed rapidly. Soon, pre-made web solutions became the norm, which aided me in finding the best-existing solution rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.

This alone taught me how to find needles in haystacks, and how to become better at doing my research.

The Power of Consistency

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When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. — Henry Ford

In my personal life, respect has less to do with allowing myself to pursue what feels comfortable or good and more to do with what is profoundly hard but that much more rewarding in the end.

Somehow, it seems, respect and self-care became synonymous with rewarding yourself, which is not the case at all.

On the contrary, my happiest moments have been saying “no” to an unhealthy snack and denying myself anything that won’t get me from Point A to Point B.

It doesn't mean you never enjoy life, it simply means you set strict boundaries.

Respect isn’t really about being able to agree with someone, either.

It’s about loyalty, and how far you will go to maintain that respectful relationship even when you two don’t see eye to eye.

Respect is also about loving who you are without being complacent about where you are in life. It’s expecting more of yourself without being judgemental of yourself.

Respect all things in life

It may be easy to forget sometimes, but we are all one, no matter how far apart in the world we may be. Our unity is our strength, and without it, we succumb to isolation and stagnation, which obviously, hastens death.

Speaking of death, it is something to be appreciated too. 

Take it from Morrie, who said:

Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.

I don't know about you, but that book helped me live life more intentionally. 

Sure, life is messy; but that’s where beauty is found and how friendships are forged.

In the end, I don't think life ever really feels like it's supposed to. You simply keep moving forward knowing that when your time does come, your life will be worth watching.