The Power of Respect by Deborah Norville, Book Review

The Power of Respect is a common sense approach on the impact of respect in the world. Norville relates her topic to the reader in point blank, everyday language, and applies it to every area of life: home, relationships, school, business, leadership, and self.

I found this book to be a quick read, yet it made an impact. It took me back to the values I was raised upon, to treat others as I would want to be treated. But more than that, it made me realize that there is an entire segment of the population that wasn't raised with those values, and that this book could be a real growth experience for them.

I really enjoyed the book layout, which includes quotes, lists and "respect reminders" in each chapter. My favorite chapter is the last of the seven: It's on the Inside, The Power of Self-Respect. I know firsthand the importance of respecting yourself first, only because I lived many years not doing so. The more we learn about who we really are, and learn to accept ourselves, the less others' perceptions of us matter.

Respect can be cultivated, it can be learned, and it can change your life.

Lock-n-Load baby

So it's been forever since I've blogged, but for some reason, today's the day. I've been thinking this morning about 2010, and what it may hold, and the entire new decade in general. Will I live till 2020? Heck I don't know. But I'm not really obsessed with it either. All I ever really have is today. And I'm not even guaranteed breath long enough to see nightfall really, none of us are. So if I want to spend what could be my last moments making a difference, what does that look like?

As I view the landscape of all the people in my life, they all come to life in vivid Technicolor waves. I see my friends, my family, and those whom I love, or once have loved. I see my enemies, my tormentors, and those whom I just simply can't stand. But then there are those whom I hold dear, and deeply love, and as I look at them, I understand why I am even alive.

It is for those people that have been overlooked, judged, condemned, labeled worthless good for nothings, screw-ups. For anyone who has ever had their entire life turn its back on them, and felt the sting of rejection and abandonment. You are not just a face, a name, a statistic, an inmate number; you are my very soul and reason why I live. I am just like you. I am you.

I have an arsenal of words, meant just for you. Not mere words, but truths that your heart is longing to hear. I know the truth about you, and am not afraid to speak it, yell it, or gently whisper it, into your ears. Truth is never what you think it is.

If you've ever felt the razor blade on your wrist, the cold steel barrel placed at your temple, the violation of a stomach pump, my words are for you. If you cannot forget the humiliating restraint of the handcuffs, or the view of your world through bars and barbed wire, I know what your heart is longing to hear. If you know the crushing blow of a fist, the sting of the whiskey, the twist of the knife, or the terror of the chase, I have a battery of soothing words just for you.

Pain, humiliation, shame, terror, fear, is not a definition of who you are. You were created for so much more. My words flow for you. I sit at my keyboard, open a vein and bleed for you. If you are reading this, and think your life is great, and that you have no problems, just keep on truckin' my friend. I don't have time for you. But if you are reading this, and you know deep inside that you are not all right, you have just connected with someone who knows, and exists to help you. Just take it. I have the words that you need to hear, that you long to hear. You will not find the answer in a bottle, in a pill, a joint, a needle, a crime spree, a XXX movie, no matter how hard you look.

You will never know condemnation or judgment from me. I accept you, where you are, whatever you have done, no matter what. Your life does not have to feel this way. There is hope. You matter to me, and I have so much to tell you. And what you hear may just change your life, if you let it. Lock-n-load, baby. My arsenal is ready for you.