How To Respect Yourself

1. Dress Like Barbie

Ladies, run out and get yourself a Barbie coloring book. My daughter got one a few years ago and I couldn't help but notice her simple dress code.

Rule #1
Barbie never wears a short skirt or short shorts with a revealing top. Short skirts and shorts are only appropriate with modest tops.

Rule #2
Barbie never wears a revealing/low cut/strappy top with high cut bottoms. Skimpy tops are only appropriate with below-the-knee bottoms. That includes skirts, shorts, capris, and pants.

Rule #3
Have you ever seen Barbie wearing ratty pajama pants and a sweater in public? No way! Do NOT risk ending up on the People of Walmart website. Always wear real pants, a bra, and lipstick when you're in public.

I realize that this may sound silly and that the Barbie clothes sold in stores don't always follow the rules, but trust me on the coloring book. You can be sexy, beautiful, and classy without oversharing! The way we dress might be the greatest reflection of our self-esteem.

2. Make decisions and live a life that reflects YOU.

We all have a unique combination of opinions, thoughts, preferences, and interests. So why live your life trying to please or impress anyone but yourself?

Acting to impress a boss or a potential employer is one thing, but never ever act as a phony in a personal relationship. The mask WILL fall off, if only momentarily, and you WILL be found out. So be true to YOU. Even if your target audience doesn't agree with everything you do, there ARE people out there who will appreciate - not to mention respect - you for being you. And on that note, if you find yourself surrounded by people who judge and condemn everything you do and say... you need new surroundings. Plain and simple.

3. Spend more time on your own life than you do on others

Ever notice how other people's problems and drama can consume us for hours, days, years?? We feel anxious, upset, and legitimately drained when we get deeply involved in other people's lives. Yet many of us struggle to convince ourselves to exercise for ten minutes a day! That is so ass-backward, yet prevalent in our society. I'm still not entirely sure how it came to this, aside from the media and our culture telling us we need to obsess over other people.

For some Goddamn reason, women are programmed to worry about everyone and everything before we worry about ourselves. We obsess over judging and fixing other people's problems! Yes, I get it, Biology says the human race wouldn't survive without this trait. But we've taken it way too far.

The cure for this is to practice doing what we can, and accepting things that are not in our control. We create most of the guilt and 'should's in our lives, and I do believe that if we become more active in our own lives, we can drop the guilt just as we picked it up. Right?? We will also find that other people's lives become much less deserving of our time.

The point is: Make YOUR life worth living before you embark on a quest to save everyone else. And do NOT engage with people who don't appreciate your individuality. Don't waste your time explaining yourself. There is no need.