We all get taken for granted from time to time. And sometimes we don’t even care if someone we love and is very close to us does. But if it’s a regular thing that keeps repeating itself, it surely hurts and irritates. This world is full of people who complain that they are taken for granted by their bosses, colleagues, spouses, friends, brothers and sisters, and even their own children. They hate it, but they are never really able to change it.

If you look closely, you can easily see that these people are nice and decent; In fact, sometimes too nice and decent. They are soft-spoken, willing to please, helpful, sincere, and hard-working. Generally, other people like them and even praise them, behind their back. But somehow they never manage to get the kind of recognition and reward where it really matters.

A lady, who loves her husband and children, works hard all day, takes better care of them, is an ideal wife and mother in the eyes of the entire neighborhood, never gets even a simple thank you from her husband and children. They can say they love her, but they never really appreciate the effort she puts into it. An employee who is loyal, talented, works hard, and sometimes even bends over backwards, is praised by some of the colleagues, but does not seem to get the promotion. It’s someone else who gets the raise and promotion, and soon the person in question finds himself or herself working for a person who is almost half his or hers in qualifications, experience, and talent, and even whose loyalty is questionable.

Does it sound like your story or someone you know? Isn’t that too common? The answer will probably be ‘Yes’. Now, you may ask, why do a few get all the recognition and reward, even though they don’t deserve it? But then most of the others are taken for granted, one way or another. Can this be changed? If so, then how?

Many times it is not important what we do, but how we do it that draws people’s attention. Here are some unusual strategies that can get people to recognize your efforts. They almost always work for me and they will for you too.

Work smart, not hard: Do you work hard when others are having fun, whether at home or in the office? Does everyone know you’ll do everything if they don’t? You have to change that. Call others and give them responsibilities and deadlines. Keep following up and ask about progress. Require an explanation for non-compliance. Act authoritative if necessary and see the difference in just a few days. People may not like you for this at first, but soon they will begin to show you respect and stop taking you for granted.

Promote yourself: How will everyone know how hard you work and what your achievements are if you don’t promote yourself? You do not have to hire an advertising agency, but present your achievements in front of those who really matter. Tell your family members about the great work you have done for them. After each achievement, tell your bosses what you’ve done, either verbally or by sending a report. If you think that action and results speak louder than words, you are wrong. No one is watching you do all that action, and there are plenty of others waiting to steal your credit.

Not only help but please: It is good to help other people. Unfortunately, in today’s world, people take your kindness for granted and begin to take advantage of it. So help people, but show that you are doing it as a favor and as an exception. Make them feel obligated and indebted to you. People may call you a snob, but let them. It is much better than what has been taken for granted.

Be assertive and stubborn to prove a point: People who are unable to speak their minds clearly and forcefully always take it for granted. Be assertive when presenting your opinion and point of view. Listen to others and pretend you don’t understand what they are saying, and keep repeating your point. People may call you stupid, but they will take you much more seriously.

Be aggressive and passionate: By asking you to be aggressive I am not asking you to fight with people. But, set aggressive goals, work aggressively and passionately. Aggressive attitude to a certain level creates positive energy that other people feel. And this energy helps people recognize you and your work.

Develop some annoying value: It’s not always good to be nice. Let people know that you can get angry too and call things by their names. Be courteous, discreet and diplomatic, but speak your mind. Tell people clearly how you feel. They will never take your feelings and emotions for granted.

I’m growing up and ready to move on: Everyone will obviously take you for granted if they develop the feeling that you are stuck with them and going nowhere. So, it keeps growing. Make continuous improvement on yourself. Develop a better attitude, work on your self-image, and add value to your skills and qualifications. Show readiness to move on and see how people’s attitudes toward you change.

epilogue: All this that I told you above may not come very naturally to you at first. But still make conscious efforts for some time until it becomes second nature. However, that does not mean that you will employ these strategies indiscriminately. These strategies are like medications and should be used only if symptoms exist.

In addition, you must continually work to improve your own image. People take you for granted, your lack of assertiveness, being meek, doing all the work yourself, people don’t take you seriously, etc. They are usually manifestations of a poor self-image. Once you achieve a healthy self-image, you no longer need to consciously employ any strategy to gain recognition, you will gain recognition automatically.