Do you often find yourself doing what others want you to do? Or do you put the needs of others first? Being assertive is sometimes the hardest
thing for women to achieve. We are nurturers by nature; and we hate to disappoint
people or make others unhappy. We don’t feel comfortable saying “no.” Many
times we rush through life doing a host of activities we don’t even like to do.
I can truly admit that I really didn’t become assertive
until I started to work and joined the 70 percent of women who worked outside the
home. My children were little and my time was valuable. And there were only so
many hours in the day. Learning to be assertive was not easy, especially when
it meant doing or saying things that others may not have viewed favorably.
Learning to stand up for your rights by learning to say “no”
to activities you don’t want to do—whether it’s volunteering for a project, working
overtime, or baking ten dozen cookies for a bake sale—is the only way to learn
how to express your true feelings. When you think about it, being assertive is
a way of protecting yourself and your health, and allowing yourself to be the
master of your own life.
Assertive people don’t let others
take advantage of them and aren’t afraid to let go of the nagging feeling that “they
have let someone down.” They have overcome the guilt and belief that people
will think unkind thoughts if they don’t cave in to the pressures and demands
asked of them
And once you’ve taken the first
step—once you said the first no, it’s a liberating feeling that makes the
second “no” even easier. Doesn’t everyone deserve a more stress free, healthy
life?
