Respectful vs. Respectable

There is a big difference but also a very similar definition. Respect is hard to define, I define it as treating someone else better than you would want to be treated. Or maybe even looking up to someone else and treating them better than other people (even though you should treat everyone like you would like to be treated). The dictionary also has a similar definition, having esteem for worth of excellence or to honor a person. The big difference is in the direction the respect is flowing. Respectful is the way one acts towards a person. For example, a employee should be respectful towards his/her boss, a child should be respectful to his/her parents. Respectable is the way someone acts that earns him/her respect or the ability to be respected. Respectable can also coincide with integrity. If someone has integrity he/she may be respectable.

In my lifetime, I want to be both. I want to be respectful and respectable. To me personally being respectful is harder than being respectable because respectful is more of an interior mindset towards other people. Respectable is how others perceive you to act, which earns you respect.