As is well known, respect is a prerequisite for interpersonal interaction. Once it is gone, the relationship in question will affectively be history. Whether at work or in our private lives: disrespect must not become the norm. As soon as certain boundaries are crossed or no longer recognized, an invisible dam is broke.

Unfortunately, this cannot be undone. There are many reasons why our fellow human beings may have no respect for us. In this article, we’ll show you six of the most common of them.

1. You try to control those around you.

Nobody appreciates being dominated or controlled. Even if someone else has the relevant authority over you, say as a manager or supervisor, it's not nice to be micromanaged. Control is a way of displaying power that those with legitimate power may engage in. If, on the other hand, you have no legitmate power but just can't resist poking your nose into other people's affairs and imposing your opinion on everyone else, respect for you will soon evaporate.

Respect is a two-way street. The more you act in a petty and domineering way, the faster the respect for you among others will decline. You not only come off as a dominant and jealous type, but you also demonstrate a tremendous amount of weakness through such behavior. And it is well known that the weak have a particularly hard time gaining respect.

2. You Apologize Too Often

The polar opposite of a control freak is the one who apologizes for everything. Unfortunately, women in particular still make this tactical mistake all too often. These individuals start far too many sentences with "I'm sorry, but...". This in turn open the floodgates to the idea that they might actually always be to blame for something.

Anyone who voluntarily blames themselves everyday will eventually become blamed by others as well. If this sounds like you, try noticing how many times you apologize to others throughout the day, giving them an indirect excuse to show less and less respect for you each time You have to have respect for yourself for others to respect you too. This isn’t necessarily the fault of others.

You yourself manifest the thought that you are incompetent and incapable in their mind. So use the apology sparingly and sincerely when you've really screwed something up, but never just as an empty phrase. This will eventually become a kind of boomerang that will come back to inconvenience you sooner or later.

3. You always put yourself first.

Do you like dishing out endless monologues while never letting those around you have a say? Does only your opinion count because everyone else has no idea anyway? This kind of behavior is a great way to ensure that, over time, nobody has even an ounce of respect left for you anymore. With your constant dominance of the conversation, you signal to others that you don't value their opinion.

So the disrespectful behavior actually comes from you. Others only react accordingly and in fact correctly by not respecting you anymore. When such respect is lost, it is never for no reason. It is always the case that one party provides the reason and the other responds. Even the most just and selfless among us would not tolerate disrespectful behavior forever, even if we were gifted with an above-average understanding of others.

4. You break your promises.

Certainly not everyone sees the broken promise as radically as Erich Fried. He equated it with spoken crime and thus unknowingly set a very high standard when it comes to giving your word. If you want to burn bridges with others as quickly as possible, then promise them great things and don’t keep those promises. There is no faster path to becoming a social pariah than to be exposed as a phony or an impostor.

What earns us the respect and recognition of those around us is our actions, not our words. Any discrepancy between them is a sure ticket to your word no longer being taken seriously. Sooner or later, nobody takes a someone who’s flexible with their promises seriously. The result is a clear lack of respect.

5. You don't respect your own boundaries.

Not only are you treated badly, but you also let it happen. Anyone who allows their own limits to be shamelessly exceeded and permits others to treat them disrespectfully through their silence in fact gives others consent for further attacks. Even if it is not easy for some people to stand up for themselves and they feel the need to just make peace, the truth is that no one can defend our boundaries other than ourselves.

Once you've earned a reputation for being a punching bag, word of how easily you can be abused will spread like wild fire. To make matters worse, almost nothing comes easier to us than accepting the bad behavior of others.

6. You ignore the opinions of others.

Anyone who does not let others have their say, consistently ignores their ideas and does not attach any importance to different perspectives should not be surprised ti learn that they are no longer respected by others. This behavior is not only extremely rude, but it also shows a lot of stupidity and a lack of social skills. Why? Not everyone has the same opinion. Other people may have knowledge that you don’t.

Not considering all possible points of view on an issue is a sure sign of blindness. In the private sphere, this may not be widely understood. Sooner or later though, those who fail to realize this will find themselves alone in the middle of nowhere wondering why they are no longer on the greetings list of their acquaintances. This becomes critical however in the professional context.

Anyone who cannot accept an opinion other than their own will likely not only damage their personal reputation, but also that of the company itself.

Today’s Conclusion:

No respect, no character. It is a well-known fact that respect is based on reciprocity. In some areas, you have to earn it first. In the interpersonal context, however, it should be a matter of course. Without respect, there can be no peaceful coexistence. The good news is that, in this area, we can do a lot ourselves to ensure that we are accepted by others and treated as full, equal members of society.

We earn respect with our words, behavior and above all with our actions. We can only make limited changes to the way others perceive us. But we can shape and tweak our own character throughout our lives, or to paraphrase Hollywood legend Bruce Lee, "Knowledge gives us power, but character gives us respect and recognition." That's it for today.

THIS Is Why People Lose Respect for YOU!