Have you ever observed the way men treat other men, compared to how they treat women, can look very different?

It’s especially apparent here in the South, where I live in Atlanta, Georgia.

If you are a tall, white man, you are “the man”.

Not too long ago I found myself talking to one of these men in a social situation. He was an acquaintance, someone I met through someone else.

Then, during our conversation, when it came time for me to respond, in the middle of my response, he cut me off and said he was going to watch the band that was playing. It’s not like the band hadn’t been playing all along.

I felt treated like chopped liver (lol not sure how chopped liver feels now that I think about it).

It was rude and entitled. There was no way he would have done that to another dude.

So I walked away, no explanation.

As soon as I did that, I went from feeling like chopped liver, to feeling great! That’s what happens when you take your power back.

At that very moment, I determined that I didn’t need to know this person. He lost his access to me.

The rest of the night he acted thrown off…like the world had just turned on it’s axis. It was kind of funny to observe.

That doesn’t happen. Women are supposed to fall into line and let guys get away with their bad behavior, right?

But I respect myself enough not too allow anyone who treats me with disrespect further access to me.

I bet he now thinks a little bit differently about how he treats women. At least I hope so.

For things to really change on a societal level though, as women, we have to change ourselves. Because how others treat us is a reflection of how we treat ourselves.

If we want respect, we have to first treat ourselves with respect 🙌 .

You may wonder, how did I get this way? How did I learn to put myself first and make myself and my needs highest priority?

A few years ago, a friend of mine asked me that same thing? And it was her inquiry that led me to do some major self-reflection. 

I started journaling about my experiences, which led to me writing my first book “I Love Me More: How To Find Happiness And Success Through Self-Love”. 

That writing experience changed my life, and is now changing the lives of other women. The book has since won a couple of awards, including top honors in the Women’s Health category in the 2023 National Indie Excellence Awards, an achievement I feel both incredibly humbled and honored by.

If we want to be treated with value and work, home or in relationships, we have to first value ourselves.

If we want to someone else to fall madly, deeply in love with us, we have to first fall deeply in love with ourselves.

It all starts with our relationship with ourselves, which is the most important relationship we’ve got.