Throughout my childhood, I was extremely shy and was the type to remain quiet if anyone were to ever disrespect or make fun of me. I would shake it off and just try to go along with it because, well, I was terrified to stand up for myself.

It’s not that I never wanted to stand up for myself, I just never knew how to and was afraid of being disliked by others. I would say that this is one of my biggest regrets from my past, however, I am actually very proud of this phase of my life, as it has made me realize exactly what I do not want to be. It made me see the importance of self-respect and helped me to become the strong woman that I am and still becoming today.

This change did not necessarily occur overnight in my life. It did not hit me until my late high school years. I started to talk back when I was disrespected. I started to say no instead of just going along with things. I started to defend myself and my values.

I think this change sparked within me when I started to really value myself and see my true self-worth. When you know yourself, your values and your worth, you know that you should accept disrespect from no one.

I simply do not allow myself to be treated as less than or poorly by others, no matter who it is. If someone says something rude or mean to me or about me behind my back, they are going to hear about it. If someone is doing something that I do not like or that is hurting me, I do not tolerate it and will make it stop.

I no longer push away such comments and treat them as nothing, because they are not nothing, they are disrespect and that it not okay with me. I have learned that others opinions of me mean nothing and all that really matters is that I am confident and actively stand up for myself.

It is so important to remember that there is no one in this world that is better than you, so do not allow yourself to be treated in such a manner. For me, this lesson was not one that was learned quickly or easily, but is by far the most important that I have learned in my life, thus far.

Once you learn to defend and stand up for yourself, you will feel an overwhelming sense of self-confidence that will carry with you and help you grow into the strong person you are meant to be.