There are two types of respect. The first is respect that comes to you because of your position, fame, or wealth. This type of respect is impermanent. It can be lost once you lose your wealth or status.
The second type of respect comes because of your smile and your virtues such as honesty, kindness, commitment and patience. This respect no one can take away.
The less you are attached to your virtues, the more self-respect you have. When you get attached to your virtues, you treat others with disdain and then your virtues start diminishing. Non-attachment to virtues brings the highest self-respect.
Ego is often confused with self-esteem. Ego needs another for comparison, but self-esteem is just confidence in oneself. For example, a person claiming that (s)he is skilled in mathematics or geography has self-esteem. But to say, “I am more skilled than you,” is ego.
Ego simply means lack of respect for the Self. Your ego will often leave you upset, but if you have self-esteem, you will be unshaken by external factors. In self-respect everything is a game, winning or losing has no meaning, every step is joy and every move is celebration. With self-esteem you simply realize you have it.
