“It is the bright, cheerful, hopeful, contented man who makes his way, who is respected and admired.”

– Orison Swett Marden

 Have you ever been around or worked for a person who said they “demanded” respect?  That my friend, is a foolish person.  No one can “demand” respect any more than you can demand love.  Respect is not an act or something that you do.  Yes, you can demand that people do what you say, and maybe – if you have the power to do so – can get them to do it, but that is not respect.  Respect is something you work hard for and earn.  It should never be given lightly and always be taken seriously.

Success-Minded People know that respect is not given to them because of the position they hold or the power they seem to have.  To be respectful of a position is good manners; it is not the result of people thinking highly of you.  We have learned the hard way in this country that many who hold high office are unworthy of our respect.  As people of good manners, Success-Minded People may respect the position and behave accordingly, but that is not respect for the person.

So what does this teach us?  First, that as we know people cannot demand our respect, we in turn cannot demand it of others.  We must earn the respect of people every day.  Earning respect has nothing to do with our position or power, but with our character and integrity.  Author Jane Austen said “Respect for right conduct is felt by everybody.” 

Never think that what you do is your own business.  As a Success-Minded Person your decisions will touch many lives.  Success is never achieved in a vacuum.  Your decisions will change lives and influence many.  You will make them better or worse but you will not leave them the same.  That is why you must always be aware of others.  Success-Minded People who care for others and do what is best for all are the ones respected and admired.  As John Maxwell has said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  A positive attitude, good manners, a caring heart and honest dealings have earned more respect than all the money and power in the world – put together.

              We live in a time when the definition of many things has been confused and misused.  Words like respect, honesty, integrity and truth have all been battered about like they were too complex to define.  Success-Minded People know that the definition for respect and truth are the same today as they always were.  It does not change because some selfish and power hungry villain said it did.  There is a simple and sure way to earn respect and be the person people look to for guidance.  Always do right.  That is it.  Never compromise on what you know is right and good.  I love the quote by Mark Twain that said, “Always do right.  This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”

 © 2012 John Patrick Hickey