Assertive People: What Rights Do They Put Into Practice?

The rights that assertive people put into practice are based on the principle of loyalty to themselves and respect for others. It is an exercise in emotional intelligence, through which people authentically define themselves by saying “this is me, this is what I think, this is what I want and feel” .

Tacitus, a famous historian of the Roman Empire, affirmed that nothing can give more happiness to the human being than to live in an age in which he can think what he wants and can say what he thinks. However, even if we live in a historical period in which we have an infinite number of communication channels available, we are unable to express ourselves as we would like.

Let’s think about it for a moment. If there is anything that abounds today, it is aggressive communication, not to mention passive communication. We are not always totally honest or able to defend our personal rights.

Finding an ideal balance to avoid escalating into aggression or passivity is a more difficult task than we think. This is demonstrated by the psychologist Daniel Ames of Columbia University. According to the expert, in fact, most of us have a wrong idea about communication and believe that to impose ourselves, in any context, we must be “aggressive”.

It is a mistake, also because it seems that the profile that obtains the most success and personal happiness is precisely the one characterized by a relaxed, assertive and intuitive attitude.

The rights put into practice by assertive people

1. Express opinions and feelings

Assertive people don’t practice their rights overnight. Nobody comes into the world with the assertiveness manual pre-installed. While assertiveness should be taught to us at home and at school, we don’t always have this option or it’s not always done right.

Knowing how to express one’s opinions without fear or without imposing oneself in a violent way is actually an art that improves day by day. Willpower and awareness are needed in all contexts (school, family, friends, work, couple relationships). It is important to be able to communicate emotions, ideas and feelings.

2. Not needing the approval of others

We all need to find our place in early childhood and adolescence. At this stage we are convinced that our survival and happiness depend on it. However, as we get older, we realize that life doesn’t work like that. Harmony is not being a multipurpose piece that necessarily fits into any puzzle.

Wellness is about being the best piece for yourself, being consistent, maintaining your dignity. This coherence is achieved through the balance between what you feel and what you do, between what you think and what you say. There is no need to obsess over wanting to please others, no need for everyone to appreciate our actions and opinions.

3. Don’t be responsible for others

Among all the rights put into practice by assertive people is that of not taking responsibility for what others say, do, think or need.

We are responsible for ourselves and, beyond this border, it is not our task to depend on psychological scenarios that do not belong to us and that do not belong to us.

4. Make mistakes

Among the rights related to assertiveness that we can all exercise is the permission to make mistakes. Who said we must always be infallible? We are not, we are absolutely free to make one, ten, twenty mistakes. Now, it is our duty to learn from these mistakes and it is our responsibility to do better and better.

5. Say “I don’t know”

Not knowing is not a crime, it is not an attack on personal dignity or proof of ineffectiveness. Any knowledge is acquired by admitting one’s ignorance and being able to say aloud that you do not know something offers the opportunity for improvement. Therefore, we do not hesitate to ask whenever we want to know something, clarify a detail or have the help of an expert.

6. Change your mind

“Didn’t you say you liked him and agreed? Some time ago it wasn’t you who said that this was your dream and now instead … “

We all found ourselves in a similar situation: facing a confused person, who does not understand why we now see or feel life in a different way. We must understand that changing your mind, having different tastes, defending other values ​​are not always signs of instability or inconsistency. People grow and growing means embracing new perspectives that prove to be more useful …

7. Be proud of yourself

Nobody has more right than us to celebrate successes, progress and the simple fact of “being and existing”. Appreciating ourselves is part of the celebration of life. We are a precious gift and we don’t always give ourselves the right consideration, so being proud of ourselves is an assertive right.

Telling us what we are worth and giving us positive words are not acts of vanity or selfishness, quite the opposite. We must not have brakes in loving every cell, every nuance and every fiber of the person we see reflected every day in the mirror.

In conclusion, these rights enforced by assertive people are undoubtedly well-being and psychological health resources that we should all put into practice. Let’s make good use of them, keep them in mind and train every day with these exercises of self-respect and respect for others.