To me, assertiveness is...

by Steve
(UK)

Well I wish I had a story about assertiveness but I just don't. Yet, anyway. (Got loads of stories about not being assertive, but that doesn't help here! Lol.)

So I thought I'd get things going here by looking at what I think assertiveness is all about.

And whilst assertiveness is all of the following words... absolute, assured, certain, confident, decided, decisive, emphatic, firm, positive, self-assured, self-confident, strong-willed, sure (at least according to thesaurus.com anyway lol) it's more than that, I think.

I think Gloria Hamilten summed it up in her article, actually when she said that it was nothing more than interacting with others in a direct, honest and respectful manner.

So it certainly isn't about winning at all costs, or always getting your way!

In fact, I think if you are self-aware and act out of love rather than fear then you'll pretty much be acting assertively.

Well, that's what I think. How about you?

Oh, I think that inspirational If poem, by Rudyard Kipling, does a good job of describing assertiveness too (as well as many other great character attributes).

About Steve M Nash

Steve is a recovering self-help junkie. It all started in 2001, when he found himself face to face with his unhappy, unsettled, and struggling self.

Enter stage left, self-help and spirituality books. Enter the road to recovery. Enter SBI! and the inspiration to create SelfHelpCollective.com

Enter Steve's love of great inspirational quotes

Enter (slowly) the realisation that the answer does not lie in a self-help book, or the words/actions of a guru, the answer lies within.