Appreciation is something that most, if not all of us, yearn for, in some way or another. On that note, one of our biggest gripes might be that we’re taken for granted more often than not. What we get from the outside sometimes reflects what is happening within.

In the case of being taken for granted, before looking outwards, ask yourself; am I taking myself for granted?

Taking Yourself for Granted and Ways You May be Doing This

What you have within often tends to manifest outwardly. This would mean that if you take yourself for granted, chances are, others will too.

Here are three ways that we as individuals might take ourselves for granted. We’re also going to give you a little on how to turn the situation around.

Your Time

Do you feel like people don’t respect your time? Ask yourself how you respond when people make demands of the same. Do you have your own schedules? Do you value personal commitments like the one-hour daily jog or gym visit? Do you adhere to your own time boundaries or do you consistently alter your schedule to accommodate others?

If you do the latter, you’re doing it wrong. Where it is great to be accommodating, it isn’t if it’s at your expense every time. Learn to say no to people. Learn to value your own commitments even if others do not get them. Your time is your time and if you don’t want others to take it for granted, you need to appreciate and value it first!

Your Loyalty

Whether in a personal or professional relationship, loyalty is important. It is also a trait that demands respect and appreciation.

If you allow people to walk all over you and treat you unfairly even though you do your bit, you might be underappreciating yourself. As a loyal individual who looks out for those around them, you deserve better.

The way you can appreciate yourself here is to disengage from situations and people where your loyalty is overlooked. Don’t let people take advantage of your niceness. Put up boundaries and pull back where your commitment and loyalty is not reciprocated.

Your Skills

Some of us spend years working at a single organization feeling incompetent. It is only when we say switch offices or jobs that we realize that we were in fact pretty good at what we did. This is an example of taking your skills or competence for granted.

If you don’t connect with the fact that you are skilled, you’ll present yourself like someone who isn’t. This, in turn, will elicit all the wrong interpersonal responses.

Appreciate the things you do well. Appreciate your skills and talents. Value what you bring to the table and others will too!

Upshot

When you start valuing and appreciating aspects of yourself and your life, your environment and those in it will soon follow. Check out the bestselling author and motivational business and keynote speaker Bill Wooditch and book him here. 

Bill, like many successful individuals, realized earlier in life that if you want to make changes, they need to start from within. As we always say, it’s about self-empowerment because power is something we all have!