psychology
You should break these habits if you are constantly underestimated
© Mary Long / Adobe Stock
Do you sometimes have the feeling that others don’t really take you and your opinions seriously? This could be due to the following behaviors, which you should break the habit of if you want to change that.
How our fellow human beings perceive us largely determines how they treat us and ultimately what opportunities we get in life. Our professional success, friendships and romantic relationships – all of this is closely linked to how others see us, what they think about us, and what they believe in us.
There are people who are often underestimated, who don’t really take their bosses, friends and partners seriously. This can have very different reasons. Our appearance, for example whether we are tall or short, whether we are normally beautiful, what skin color we have and so on, often influences how others perceive us – even if it is of course completely irrational to associate such appearances with competence or intelligence bring. Unknowingly, many people do it anyway.
However, our behavior can also cause others to underestimate us. And fortunately, unlike prejudices about our gender or appearance, we can influence that.
5 habits that make people underestimate you
1. Say yes to everything
Many people, especially people pleasers, believe that others will value them more if they never say no. In fact, the opposite is often the case. We often take people who don’t have a real opinion of their own (or don’t dare to express them), who just say yes and amen to everything and don’t listen to their needs, less seriously than those who set clear boundaries.
2. Self-doubt
Are you one of those people who find it difficult to believe in themselves and their success? Who always tend to assume that they won’t succeed at something? And who rethink every decision five times because they don’t trust their intuition – or have practically eliminated it with their self-doubt? Counter question: If you don’t trust yourself and don’t have confidence in anything – why should others?
3. Play it safe
Leaving our comfort zone is often anything but easy. After all, life often runs so comfortably in the fixed, small ways that we have set up for ourselves. But often there is fear behind it when we are afraid to try something new and take a risk. And that’s exactly how other people perceive us in this case: as anxious, weak and overly cautious. And naturally they trust such a person less than someone who sometimes leaves their comfort zone.
4. Avoid conflict
Very few people enjoy having difficult conversations in which they confront the other person about something that has hurt them or something they want. But conflicts are part of every relationship, regardless of whether it is at work, romantically or within the family. And anyone who is unable to face such unpleasant situations is usually more likely to be underestimated than someone who can confidently handle difficult conversations.
5. Remove yourself from responsibility
Making mistakes is human. We all screw up sometimes, and much more important than being supposedly infallible is how we deal with our missteps. We tend to respect people who clearly own up when they’ve done something wrong more than people who constantly blame others for their problems. If you have the feeling that people often don’t take you seriously, it could be because you prefer to avoid responsibility instead of taking responsibility for your life.
Sources used: hackspirit.com, mindbodygreen.com