Gaining Respect is Impossible Without These 7 Steps

How many men do you know whom you truly respect? Think about it for a moment. In real life, how many men do you truly admire and respect? Probably no more than a handful, right? Unfortunately, many men today have very little about them that is worth respecting. And no wonder, because so many wander through life with no system to become the kind of man that others would respect. However, today I am going to share with you a seven-step system for building a life that not only other men and women will respect, but most importantly, you will respect. Hello, my name is James, and I am on a mission to create a generation of gentlemen. You cannot expect anybody to respect you until you truly begin to respect yourself. And self-respect begins showing up in the smallest of daily actions. Do you take the time to groom and dress yourself properly? Every day, even when nobody is looking? Do you make your bed in the morning, even if nobody is going to see it? And do you maintain high standards of personal discipline with your time and your habits? Creating a life of respect is somewhat like building a castle. And these simple self-respecting behaviors are the very foundation. It pains me to say this, but I see many men today living in a state of shame, living in a way that would cause them embarrassment if other people were to know them intimately. Do not let that be you. Even if nobody is looking, put your best foot forward every day and practice those small behaviors of self-respect until they become completely automatic. As men, our bodies are our first domain. If we cannot control what we do with our bodies and what we put in them, how can we expect to control anything else? So it's another fundamental pillar of respect that you take pride in your body and you look after it. If you would feel ashamed to remove your shirt in front of others, that's a serious sign that it's time to do something. And you don't have to go crazy. You don't have to go and listen to all of these fitness influencers on the internet. Simply build a routine, a diet, and an exercise program that reflects your goals. And soon you will be walking into rooms with a feeling of confidence that you've never experienced before. When you look back at those old images of kings and emperors, have you noticed how they would cover themselves in fine clothing and jewelry? That wasn't just to show that they were rich. It was because they understood the power of image. And today, nothing has changed. We might not wear jewels and robes, but we wear suits. We wear watches. We wear good-fitting casual clothes. At least that's what we are meant to do. However, I see many men today walking around dressed like a four-year-old. And that's not because they are trying to look bad. It's simply because they have not put any intention into their outfits. They have not thought about the message they are trying to send. But we all know that when we dress better, we are treated better. Others give us more respect. There's nothing wrong with that. Everybody simply makes shortcuts, mental shortcuts, that a man who is well-dressed ought to be treated better than somebody who is not. And coming back to self-respect, dressing in a way that makes you feel proud, makes you feel good, can have an absolutely massive impact. The value of your words, the value of your promises are directly correlated to your actions in real life. If you cannot keep your word, if you make promises that you cannot deliver on, very quickly, you will begin to lose respect. And the same goes for the promises you make to yourself. If you tell yourself you are going to start this business by next week, if you tell yourself you're going to begin your exercise program, or you're going to begin upgrading your wardrobe, but you never get round to it, you will lose faith in yourself. And that is an even greater tragedy. Don't try and be a people pleaser here. If you cannot do something, tell somebody directly. If you're not okay with it, tell them directly. You will never be disrespected for firmly setting a fair boundary. So far, we've mostly discussed visual cues of respect, such as your physical body and the way you dress, or verbal cues, such as the promises that you keep. But what is even more important than all of these are your actions and the value you give to the world. The highest forms of respect are always given to men who create something worth admiring, who help others in a meaningful way. And particularly, if you are a young man, perhaps you are trying to attract a mentor, a leader, a guider, somebody who can help you. The best way to prove that you would be a worthy student is to already go out and do something valuable. And even if it's scrappy, even if it's low budget, the fact that you've put the effort in to build something real, to give value to others, that speaks much louder than anything else you could say or any promise you could make. When we think of a respected man, we may think of a lone wolf, such as a James Bond or a Tommy Shelby. But in the real world, men are social creatures. And to be truly respected, you ought to find a circle of like-minded others, men who share your values, men who share your standards, and men who encourage the version of you that you want to become. Now, I am an only child. I've moved cities many times in my adult life. So I think it's fair to say that I've spent a fair amount of time by myself. But I intrinsically understood the value of having a circle, of having a brotherhood, of having a fraternity, even as a grown man. And that's exactly why I started our members club. Now we've grown to around 100 members. I am regularly flying all over the country to New York, to Miami, to Chicago, to personally meet with our members and to host events. Everybody that joins the members club has come through as a result of watching this content and resonating with the ideas that we talk about in the Gentleman's Collective. So if you are already part of our audience, I'm sure you would very likely feel at home within our members club. So I will put the link in the description for you to explore the membership. We have done the hard work for you. You don't have to go out and create these connections one-to-one. We already have a network of men on the same wavelength as you. So it would be my personal privilege to introduce you. Now, as men, I think we can be a little hard on ourselves sometimes. We don't want a big fuss. We don't need the birthday cake with everybody singing our name. But sometimes we would do better to take a moment to pause, to reflect, and to celebrate the achievements that we have made. When you truly acknowledge and recognize the significance of what you've been able to accomplish, it makes you realize that you can go on to accomplish many more greater and more wonderful things. As you may know, I'm a huge fan of cigars. And the reason why, it's not really about the cigar. It's about the fact that I can smoke my cigar by myself and enjoy some time for reflection. And it's also about those times where other men come together through the love of a cigar to celebrate, to have a fine conversation, to truly have an evening worth remembering, just like we do in our members club. But obviously you don't have to smoke cigars. You can celebrate in whatever way you like, whether that's buying yourself a new time piece, going out for a meal with a special somebody, or maybe taking a short trip somewhere. This is respecting oneself and caring for oneself at the highest level. Sometimes our lives can feel a little like we are running on a treadmill. And it's good to take a pause to look back at how far we've come and then prepare ourselves for the continued journey ahead. Gentlemen, I hope you have enjoyed this video on the seven step system to build a life of respect. If you are interested in joining us within the members club, remember to check out that link at the top of the description. Continue to be a gentleman and I'll see you in the next video.