Finding respect

Last night when I couldn't sleep I was thinking of respect and respecting oneself.  It had occurred to me that I found respect, value, worth, etc. for myself from my work.  My colleagues respected me, my clients seemed to respect me and through them I seemed to respect myself.  Here in Germany I am not working and will likely never work with my degree, which is something I need to move past before it consumes me.  As such, I need to find alternative methods of finding respect, value and worth within myself.  I think this will be easier once I feel as though I am integrated in the Germany culture and society, i.e. can speak more coherently with those around me.  I guess I took for granted that I could feel valued by people around me and never really had to rely solely on myself for this.  Ahh, always learning and growing.