Post by James Melbin on Oct 13, 2012 23:02:28 GMT 1
By doing the following seven things, you will likely begin to earn more respect and responsibilities and make your life and the lives of those around you much more pleasant.
1. Be courteous by using manners. "Please", "Thank You", and "You're Welcome" create positive interactions. Manners, in general, are a sign of mutual respect and convey civility and maturity. When you start acting maturely and with respect, maturepeople will treat you in the same manner.
2. Communicate effectively. Always respond with words and not grunts or otherwise indistinguishable sounds. Communication is a tool. Like any tool, it can be used effectively or ineffectively. Effective communication allows for accurate transmission and receiptof a message. Ineffective communication makes one or more parties in the discussion confused or unclear of the message. This ultimately requires more effort to further question orinterpret and it also leaves room for error, or misinterpretation. Be courteous by simply communicating effectively. Say your words clearly and at an appropriate volume to be heard by the person with whom you arespeaking. When speaking to a group, speak loud enough so thatthe person farthest from you can hear you. Your efforts will not go unnoticed. Most adults appreciate the efficiency of effective communication and will respect you for making the effort.
3. Contribute to the household. At the very least, clean-up after yourself. As a teenager you are oldenough to clean-up after yourself. When you make a mess, clean it up. Return your surroundings to how you found it, or better. This includes, but is not limited to, yourdishes and your room. All chores that you complete reduce the load off of the person who did them before. Now that you're old enough and capable, why shouldn't you contribute to the household? The people performing the chores before will greatly appreciate the help. Don't forget to ask for instructions for any task that you are unsure about. Many tasks are not intuitiveand you could cause damage to equipment or injury if you are notproperly trained. I'd bet that your offer to help will create a new level of respect and appreciation towards you. Although there might be an opportunity to negotiate for an allowance, tread lightly. Strive for a Win-Win so your parents don't feel like you're just trying to get something from them. Be sure to do good quality work.
4. Be responsible. Everyone has certain responsibilities. Whether they are basic things like brushing your teeth or homework, or more involved chores that contribute to the household, simply complete your responsibilities on time and without any reminders. When adults know that they can rely on you for your responsibilities, their trust and respect for you will likely increase. The usual progression isthat you will likely earn additional freedoms. You might have to ask for some that you particularly want, but you can make a strong argument when you've proven that you can successfully handle your responsibilities.
5. Occasionally be extra helpful. This is really an extension of #3 above. It's important, however, because by doing additional tasks without being asked, you are showing additional consideration towards the person who usually performs the task. It's like a special personalized gift that you are giving without any expectation of reciprocity.
6. Solve more of your own problems without asking for help. Instead of taking the easy approach and asking for help or asking where something might be, make the initial effort to solve your problem on your own first. The "easy way" is only easy to you, but it is an extra task for the person from whom you are seeking help. Simple tricks like getting more organized will help you greatly reduce the need for help in finding things, thus saving you time in the process. Seek assistance only after you've made an honest effort to solve your own problems. Depending on the problem, 15 minutes of effort is usually a good guideline. Also, when asking for help, seek guidance as opposed to them performing the task for you, whenever practicable. When you become a good problem solver, you increase your value to your community because you reduce your reliance on others and you can even become helpful to others who have a problem.
7. Volunteer some of your spare time. Once your day-to-day responsibilities are met, you might consider volunteering your time. Volunteering provides an opportunity to seek additional responsibilities and to prove that you can handle them. Contributing to causes and organizations is also a way of giving back to your community. Simply find an organization that you wish to support and ask about volunteer opportunities. When you are ready, your good work while volunteering might just serve as a spring board for getting a job that pays.
Credit: Source
1. Be courteous by using manners. "Please", "Thank You", and "You're Welcome" create positive interactions. Manners, in general, are a sign of mutual respect and convey civility and maturity. When you start acting maturely and with respect, maturepeople will treat you in the same manner.
2. Communicate effectively. Always respond with words and not grunts or otherwise indistinguishable sounds. Communication is a tool. Like any tool, it can be used effectively or ineffectively. Effective communication allows for accurate transmission and receiptof a message. Ineffective communication makes one or more parties in the discussion confused or unclear of the message. This ultimately requires more effort to further question orinterpret and it also leaves room for error, or misinterpretation. Be courteous by simply communicating effectively. Say your words clearly and at an appropriate volume to be heard by the person with whom you arespeaking. When speaking to a group, speak loud enough so thatthe person farthest from you can hear you. Your efforts will not go unnoticed. Most adults appreciate the efficiency of effective communication and will respect you for making the effort.
3. Contribute to the household. At the very least, clean-up after yourself. As a teenager you are oldenough to clean-up after yourself. When you make a mess, clean it up. Return your surroundings to how you found it, or better. This includes, but is not limited to, yourdishes and your room. All chores that you complete reduce the load off of the person who did them before. Now that you're old enough and capable, why shouldn't you contribute to the household? The people performing the chores before will greatly appreciate the help. Don't forget to ask for instructions for any task that you are unsure about. Many tasks are not intuitiveand you could cause damage to equipment or injury if you are notproperly trained. I'd bet that your offer to help will create a new level of respect and appreciation towards you. Although there might be an opportunity to negotiate for an allowance, tread lightly. Strive for a Win-Win so your parents don't feel like you're just trying to get something from them. Be sure to do good quality work.
4. Be responsible. Everyone has certain responsibilities. Whether they are basic things like brushing your teeth or homework, or more involved chores that contribute to the household, simply complete your responsibilities on time and without any reminders. When adults know that they can rely on you for your responsibilities, their trust and respect for you will likely increase. The usual progression isthat you will likely earn additional freedoms. You might have to ask for some that you particularly want, but you can make a strong argument when you've proven that you can successfully handle your responsibilities.
5. Occasionally be extra helpful. This is really an extension of #3 above. It's important, however, because by doing additional tasks without being asked, you are showing additional consideration towards the person who usually performs the task. It's like a special personalized gift that you are giving without any expectation of reciprocity.
6. Solve more of your own problems without asking for help. Instead of taking the easy approach and asking for help or asking where something might be, make the initial effort to solve your problem on your own first. The "easy way" is only easy to you, but it is an extra task for the person from whom you are seeking help. Simple tricks like getting more organized will help you greatly reduce the need for help in finding things, thus saving you time in the process. Seek assistance only after you've made an honest effort to solve your own problems. Depending on the problem, 15 minutes of effort is usually a good guideline. Also, when asking for help, seek guidance as opposed to them performing the task for you, whenever practicable. When you become a good problem solver, you increase your value to your community because you reduce your reliance on others and you can even become helpful to others who have a problem.
7. Volunteer some of your spare time. Once your day-to-day responsibilities are met, you might consider volunteering your time. Volunteering provides an opportunity to seek additional responsibilities and to prove that you can handle them. Contributing to causes and organizations is also a way of giving back to your community. Simply find an organization that you wish to support and ask about volunteer opportunities. When you are ready, your good work while volunteering might just serve as a spring board for getting a job that pays.
Credit: Source