It’s pretty scary to consider yourself as an assertive person. For some people the word assertive conjures up images of forceful behavior. In truth, while assertiveness does mean a certain level of force, it doesn’t necessarily mean overbearing or pushy.
Unfortunately, assertiveness has been conjoined to the meaning of bossy or pushy and it’s usually used to denote women. Being more assertive may be a scary prospect and extremely confrontational for some but being numb to situations doesn’t help make things any better.
Asserting yourself means that you are getting what you want by communicating in a much more confident and considerate way. You are graceful, stylish, witty, and you are learning assertiveness to improve your confidence along the way.
This level of communication is based on your self-acceptance, and if you cannot accept yourself you have to consider why everybody else should.
In this article we list down some reasons as to why you should go ahead and be more assertive.
Why Become More Assertive?
You will demonstrate your confidence. Assertiveness allows you to communicate in a way that oozes confidence to everybody around you. You are not being demanding or bossy, you are simply putting out what you need and your boundaries and you are waiting for others to accept that about you. It can help you to exert more self-control, while not controlling other people.
Being assertive shows that you have self-respect. There’s no need to be self-conscious about being more assertive in your mannerisms because it shows that you have a higher level of respect for yourself. If you respect others, you won’t manipulate them or patronize them, you will be honest and upfront. Asserting yourself in conversations will also show that you have respect for those around you even when you don’t feel particularly confident.
You are more honest. When was the last time you asked for what you needed rather than went along with the crowd? Assertiveness shows how open you are. It also ensures that without you having to hurt anybody else or making anybody feel less about themselves. You can still put forward your opinions in a way that makes others sit up and take notice.
Being assertive shows you’re not afraid to put yourself out there. Because assertive behavior shows a high degree of self-knowledge and awareness, people can tell that you have a willingness to engage honestly with other people. You know there is nothing more to lose, and you get to be open and up front while demonstrating that.
You get to acknowledge your own feelings. If you ever feel talked over, or pushed out of a conversation, assertive words and actions can make you stand up straight and be honest. You get to acknowledge your own feelings here, without trying to place responsibility or blame for them on other people.
Being assertive puts you ahead of yourself and it helps you to be a much more confident person. Learning how to do it is important and there are plenty of workshops out there that can teach you how to be more assertive in your mannerisms and in your speech.
