respecting yourself

Respect is a pretty commonplace virtue. Respect is expected in lots of different situations, for example in a movie theatre or at a play, you should be quiet and respectful to the presentation. And you should respect your coworkers, your mom and dad, your siblings, your pets and such.
But a lot of people forget about respecting themselves.
And you own yourself; if you can respect a bunch of other people that are not even your own self, why can't you give yourself respect?
Some people like to hide behind who they are, or they create a new version of themselves. Instead of doing yourself a favor by setting up a lie, you are hurting yourself. You are tearing yourself down by striving for nothing in a twisted way.
You are the only you that you get; don't tarnish yourself and lose who you are. Don't forget who you are - not who you think you should be or what society tells you to be, or who your friends want you to be. Be the person you know you can be, because in the end, friends or no friends, society or not, you will only have yourself. And you need that person to be truly and honestly you.