Give freely, expect nothing

“The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

You are making an error when you allow yourself to feel entitled to love and respect.

To become agitated when others don’t respond the way you desire is foolish.
To tie your happiness to external validation—especially the unpredictable reactions of others—is to hand over your peace to something you do not control.

Your job is simple: Give love. Give respect.

Whether or not you receive it in return.

That is the mark of virtue—to do what is right because it is right, not because it is acknowledged, appreciated, or reciprocated.

Detach from expectations.
Train yourself to become indifferent to outcomes, especially when it comes to how others respond.
Not cold—but centered. Rooted. Unshaken.

When your joy is dependent on the behavior of others, you risk sabotaging good relationships, and worse, you risk losing yourself.

Find your peace in your character, not in the changing winds of emotion and response.
Let your joy come from being virtuous—not validated.