Assertiveness allows you to stand up for yourself and for what you believe in and ensures that your rights are respected.
- To be able to exercise and protect your rights when it comes to Communication, as well as in other social settings, you must first know what those rights actually are.
Here is my list of Assertive Rights and Principles that I mainly consider in Communication and social settings. Although I will use numbers to organize the list, there is no particular order or hierarchy between these statements.[Recommended Read: Assertive Rights and Principles Explained]
1. You are entitled to your own beliefs, values, and the associated emotions.
2. You have the right to act in accordance with your beliefs, values and associated emotions, as long as you do not deliberately seek to hurt others.
3. You have the right to assess your own thoughts, values, emotions, and behaviors and take upon yourself the full responsibility for their expression and consequences.
4. You have the right to decide upon your implication in actions that benefit others.
5. You have the right to offer no justification or apology for your actions.
6. You have the right to make mistakes and take responsibility for them. You don’t have to be perfect.
7. You have the right to be irrational and make decisions based on irrational reasoning.
8. You have the right to disagree with others. You are entitled to different opinions.
9. You have the right to be respected as an individual.
10. You have the right to display your skills and benefit from the results of your work.
11. You have the right to say NO to the requests of others. No justification, no guilt.
12. You have the right to formulate your own goals and choose your own priorities.
13. You have the right to change your mind, your opinions and your beliefs.
14. You have the right to say “I don’t know” and “I do not understand”.
15. You have the right to be independent.