There are things in life that you cannot enforce, and one of them is respect. This is because, you give respect in order to earn it back. This means that it is a two-way thing. When you respect other people irrespective of their age, status, background, race, or qualification, you will notice that the respect will also naturally return to you. Trust me, respect is not what you force people to give nor demand, rather you earn it through the way you treat other people. When you respect people, it shows that you value them, their presence, their feelings, and their thoughts, which helps to build stronger bond between you and them.
It is worthy to note that everyone should give and be given respect, it is not exclusively reserved for some selected few or people perceived as being privileged. I have come to realise that respect is actually a sign of being mature and being emotionally intelligent. This goes way beyond just saying "yes," but understanding the values and worth of people. When you treat people with kindness and fairness, you will make them feel belonged, and you will create a conducive environment for peace to reign. It is not just about what you say to people, but it also includes how you say it. There are some harmless words that can be said in a brutal way and they will sound disrespectful. In the same way, there are some hard words that can be said in a more friendly way and they will appear respectful.
There are lots of ways to show respect to people in order to earn it back. The first one is to learn to listen to people without interrupting. Everyone may have an idea that they want to be heard, but if everyone is talking at the same time, it will look chaotic. If someone is talking, try to give heed to them and avoid interrupting even if you think they are not making sense. You can ask your question at the end of their speech. You may even be surprised that the question you would have asked may have even been answered in the course of the speech, so listen attentively. Trust me, when someone sees that you have listened to them without cutting them off and without interrupting them, they will feel respected and they will also do the same for you.
Another way to show respect is by acknowledging the efforts that someone has put into something. Have you ever done something so strenuous and stressful before just to achieve a result maybe in your office, and at the and, no one acknowledged your efforts? You will definitely feel disrespected. But if your efforts are acknowledged, you will feel respected, and not only will you be motivated to do more, but you will also show the same respect to the person back. When you truly acknowledge people's efforts, they will also do the same for yours and you will earn their respect. Just a little "thank you" or "well done" said to someone to compliment their efforts can send a strong signal of respect to them.
The next one is to respect people's opinions and do so sincerely. You may have a dissimilar school of thought, opinion, idea, etc, from someone else, but it does not invalidate their own. Instead of arguing about their own or mocking them for it, learn to understand their right of opinion. I am sure that you will not like anyone to infringe into your right of opinion, so do not do the same to others. Your own opinion is not the most accurate, neither is it the best nor the rightest, so respect others for their own. Even if it does not tally with your own, it does not make it wrong, so show them that respect.
The last way to show respect, which we shall take a look at here, in order to earn it back is; showing simple daily courtesy. There are some little gestures that people make that go a long way to show someone that you truly respect them. For example, when passing though a door, and you notice that the person coming after you is carrying loads on both hands and may not be able to easily open the door, you can hold the door for them to pass. It shows respect. Or when you enter a place and you join the queue without trying to disjoint it, it shows that you respect people's time and space. Or if you greet your neighbour in the morning, etc. All these are signs of respect. What you should understand is that it does not take anything away from you by showing respect nor does it reduce you, rather it adds to you and it makes others to also respect you.
Thanks for reading
