50 Memorable Ways To Show Respect And Earn It Back From Others

Who doesn't like to be respected? Perhaps none. Not even the little kids that are just growing up or the prisoner locked up in one dungeon like that; everyone craves respect. Everyone demands respect, and everyone needs it also. In a marriage setting, do you know that the greatest need of a man isn't sex or food? His greatest need is not even romance or gifts. If he should arrange the things he desires from his wife in the order of their importance, respect would come first. What of the professional life? Which boss would hire a disrespectful employee? Even if you're the best in your field; if you lack respect, you're no more valued than an ordinary person out there. It is an ethos in the professional world today that no one cares how much you know until they see how much you care. The "care" in this wise is a reference to respect. Respect has nothing to do with age. Even little kids demand that they'll be respected by their parents. Go talk anyhow to your child and watch how he'll react. You'll know that he's a unique person on his own. So, once love is picked from the want list of every human being, the next emotional need common to all is respect.

Knowledge commands respect. If you are a brilliant student in school, even your teachers would respect you. That's the same way the geniuses around us are revered in the society. They speak and stand where an ordinary person cannot stand. If you are in a position of honor, you'll also be respected. Consider the way Heads of state and other top government functionaries are accorded respect everywhere they go. It is not necessarily what they have done that has brought them that respect but the position they're holding. You can win yourself some respect if you are rich. When money speaks, even wisdom listens. Everyone's idea may not be valued but not a rich man's. His money makes every utterance from his mouth weighty in people's ears. Some professions naturally bring their practitioners into the line of respect. That's probably because they render what today is called essential services. Those whose faces are constantly being on TVs and movies also tend to win everyone's respect. Humble people too tend to win people's respect. Not minding today's 21st-century assertive world that we all find ourselves, anyone that shows genuine humility cannot but command people's respect. Humility in this sense is not holding to one's right and not thinking highly of oneself than one should. The list can go on and on. But one thing is sure: respect is mostly to be won and not inherited. I can be given birth to by a respected person in a respected country and continent but if I don't lead a respected life, no one would respect me.

With regard to respect, we tend to reap what we sow. If we fail to "sow" respect by showing it to others, there is no way we can also expect to receive it from them. Hence, the saying "Respect is reciprocal." There are numerous ways by which you can show respect to others but we shall be considering only 50 of the memorable ones. Hopefully, you would find them enlightening and helpful in dealing respectfully with others.

1. Be a man or woman of your own words. That's another way of saying you should maintain your integrity. When you say something, don't do another thing that is contrary to it. Let your "Yes" be "Yes" and your "No" be "No." That way, you'll be respected. 2. Uphold the pillar of truth always. You won't win friends to yourself this way but you'll surely win the respect of people that matter. Speaking the truth even in the face of a falling heaven commands a lot of respect. 3. When you make a promise, endeavor to keep it. Where honoring your promise may no longer be feasible due to one reason or the other, give an ample explanation regarding that and apologize firmly. As a rule, this kind of situation must only occur once in a blue moon for you. 4. Don't talk too much. People who are always talking rarely command people's respect. No one needs to know everything in your head. Reserve your ideas and allow them to be sought. It is possible to disrespect people by talking too much. 5. Show appreciation for every kind act done you. The gesture does not have to be huge. When you develop an attitude of gratitude, people would love and respect you for it.

6. Invest in people. Help someone in need. Fight the course of the oppressed and speak for the voiceless. This kind of relationship with people make you their beloved and hence, win you their respect. 7. Always be the first to apologize. That way, you're demonstrating your strength of character for which people you are in a relationship or contact with would later respect you for. 8. Let others be in charge. Don't be seen by your colleagues or neighbor as a power-thirsty person. If you're in a gathering and a thing is to be shared, insist that yours be served last. Take the least seat and prominence. 9. Avoid saying hurtful words even if you feel you're saying the truth. Put in another way, it would be that you should speak even the truth in love. That way, people would not feel judged or relegated to nothing. 10. Be sociable. Establish a relationship with people, nurture and sustain it. Give someone a call when it's been long you heard from them last. Send your friends and people you've established a relationship with regular text messages to ask how they are doing.

11. Don't disrespect others. Even if you are the boss, show your subordinates respect. It is when you give others respect that you can expect to receive it. This you can do by minding the way you address others. 12. Don't poke your nose into other people's affairs. No matter how close you may be to someone, there is usually a boundary that you shouldn't cross. Recognize these boundaries in your relationships with people and keep them. 13. Stay away from gossips. It hurts to be gossipped about and you probably wouldn't want to be gossiped about. If a discussion would not do a person any good, don't be a party to it because if you're found out to be gossipping about a person, you have lost that individual's respect already. 14. Say No to envy and jealousy. Do not become bitter because a neighbor is succeeding. Instead, rejoice with them. It shows you are self-secured and that in itself is another source of respect. 15. Don't look down on anybody. Everyone is special and desires to be treated as such. I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate anyone looking down on you or taking you for granted. So, don't relate to others the same way. Be particularly careful of racism and ethnocentricism. They don't win you any respect.

16. Respect deadlines. When given a task by your boss or whoever and there's a set time apportioned for it, do all within your power to meet up. This is what being professional entails. And who wouldn't respect a professional? 17. Give prior notice if you would be absent for a meeting. You cannot always say how your tomorrow would be and as such, even an earlier meeting you have given your words for may have to be shelved. Where this happens, let the management be aware as soon as possible. 18. Cherish punctuality, which has been described as the soul of business. Even if you are the owner of your own business, let people know the time you can be found at work and keep to it. It shows you're professional and many would respect you for that. 19. Dress well. You're going to be addressed by the way you're dressed. In fact, the first impression which is said to last longer than any other is mostly made by appearance. Let not your appearance portray you as not being professional. 20. Be clinical. Give people the best and your best. Every job you handle must be clinically done before you can be accorded respect. Of course, this may mean that you have to go for further studies regularly. Well, it's a price worth paying.

21. Don't talk to someone while you still have food in your mouth. That's not good manners and it's disrespectful too. What you should do instead is to seek permission from that person to first finish your food. 22. Engaging in another activity while someone is discussing a burning issue with you is disrespectful and painful as well. It shows they don't matter to you as much as what you're currently doing. No one would appreciate that actually. 23. Don't look directly into the eyes of a superior or an elder when you're being addressed. It's disrespectful. Instead, you can occasionally bend or look down to show that you respect them. 24. Give a warm handshake; take a bow where culture permits and in some instances, prostrate or knee for elders as dictated by your tradition or culture. You are not likely to receive these from your junior ones if you are not doing so to your elders. 25. Do not hug a stranger at first meeting. He or she may be embarrassed and take you for a whore. Although you should be friendly with everyone (strangers inclusive), do not give your hugs and kisses out too soon. People will easily take you for granted.

26. Set a high standard for yourself and work towards it. If you're a student, aim for the first spot in the class. If you're into business, set a lofty business target and put effort into achieving it. The more you accomplish and reach greater heights, the more your respect. 27. Be a fore-thinker. Ever before an issue arises whether in your society or place of work, think ahead of it and have your own solutions. By the time that issue becomes a talking point and you're to lend your voice, you'll take many off-guard by your profundity. 28. Study difficult subjects and succeed. Nothing is actually difficult for anyone that is determined. You cannot win the respect of others by doing what they do and study what they study. Be unique and opt for that thing that is dreaded by the majority. 29. Own a venture. Nothing commands so much as being one's own boss these days. What respect can you have when you are the errand boy of another person? Financial dependency breeds contempt. 30. If you can, write a book. Writers are among the world's most respected professionals. However, if you can't, get someone to write your biography for you and publicise it widely. People whose stories are read tend to be respected.

31. Never try to outshine or outsmart your master. Make your superior comfortable by doing what you're instructed to do. 32. Have an ideology and stay through to it. You cannot change the goal post in the midst of a match and be respected that way. Find something in life that drives you and hold tenaciously to it even when things are rough. 33. Instead of trying to impress people, just be honest. 34. Don't leave a relationship because things are currently tough. Remember that tough times would go but tough people would remain. Your partner would live to respect you if you stay loyal to them even when the going gets tough. 35. If you have signed a contract with anyone or perhaps a company, respect the agreement and avoid backstabbing.

36. Be faithful to your spouse. Don't give in to seduction. When your partner knows that you're exclusive to them, they'll respect you. 37. Don't lie to people. Uphold the legacy of telling the truth always. Let people know you for always giving the right information and you'll be respected for it. 38. Be trustworthy and dependable. Let people be able to trust you with their monies and other things. 39. Be not easily provoked. You've got to watch your temperament so it doesn't get the best of you. Individuals who are easily angered are rarely protected. 40. Eschew Pride. It's abhorrent to most.

41. Choose which battles to fight. You should not fight everyone you have the power to deal with. Some people are like pigs. They don't respect themselves and if you go into a battle with them, they may drag you to the mud. Just let go. 42. Choose your words. Powerful and respected men are rich in words and vocabularies. Where you can say hundreds of words, say less. 43. The key to being respected is to first respect yourself. Don't put yourself in a position to be disrespected. That means you may have to watch those you play with and even how you mingle with them. 44. You can't be everybody's everything. Reject offers you consider heavy for you. While your door can be opened to everybody, not everyone deserves to enter all the rooms in your house. 45. Think before you talk. Sometimes, the urgency of a matter may want to make you talk before taking time to think; resist this temptation. Those who think before they act are usually respected.

46. Respect the feelings of others. It may not make sense to you but that may be a big deal to them. Therefore, don't think they're being weak or unreasonable. We were never created to see things the same way. As you respect the feelings of others, the same would be extended to you. 47. Give people the benefit of doubt. You don't possess all the explanations and no one can say that if you were to be in their shoes, you would have acted any differently. 48. Be magnanimous in victory and embrace the spirit of sportsmanship in defeat. When you win, reach out to the one that lost. Don't take all to yourself. And if you lose, you must congratulate the winner. That's how you can be respected. 49. Value people's time and effort. If you've have given anyone an appointment and someone must be there late, let it not be you. Be conscious of people's need and help them conserve their time. 50. Never make a jest of people because of their predicament. You don't get any better by bringing your fellow human beings down.

Respect is what all of us want but it is only gained as we give it to others and also respect ourselves. If the 50 points listed in this piece are meticulously followed, you shouldn't have problem winning people's respect both at home and in the workplace. It is always good to keep in mind the law of karma because it applies greatly to the giving and receiving of respect. You eventually are going to reap what you sow.