be more assertive

Slowly, I guess, but I’m becoming less of a “polite-quiet-nice girl”
when people aren’t nice to me.
I still have a long way to go but I feel more confident to say something when something’s wrong

I found myself being more assertive than I ever thought I could be. Since I posted this goal, I felt as though nothing was happening, no progress was seen, but suddenly I had some “sparks” of assertiveness. Maybe the notion that I have this goal, grew in my subconscious mind. or something.
Anyway, the little incidents of which I am proud (or better phrased- I’m proud of myself and my behaviour) are

- a time when I was waiting for a taxi, and some woman arrived after me and ran to the taxi that came. There was no place for 2 in the taxi, so I politely told her I was waiting there first, and to my astonishment she (very unwillingly) left!

- I was at a clothes shop, and most of the “trying on” stalls were very busy. the dynamic in the shop was that a woman takes everything she wants to try on, even if it’s 5-6 dresses, and only then the next uses the stall.
So I picked some clothes and waited about 10 minutes to my turn. I started trying on, each time getting out of the stall to look at the mirror. And then some woman arrived and talked a bit rude, she wanted me to let her in while I’m looking at the mirror, and I said that I finish all my clothes first. The next thing I tried on, she stood there staring at me (no fun) and said “I thought you said the black dress was the last one” (when I said no such thing). So I just told her that I didn’t say anything and came back into the stall. She was a bit pissed. A similar incident happened again, when I waited for my turn again to come, and though I was tired of this and my mom stood there, I kept assertive though polite, and firmly said to another rude woman that I’m not going to let her in because I waited in line and I will first finish with my stuff.

- I have a slightly negative and irritable guy in the office (unfortunately, a very small office). He’s being annoying all the time, but in general, usually not towards me. But today he was really pissed at I have no idea what, and when he asked me to do something, and I did it, I felt he was rude, when remarking on how I was doing it, and (again surprisingly, because I never really say something to him about his behavior/tone) I said, a bit humorously and a bit firmly “Okay, no need to talk in those tones”. Yay.
I don’t know, I hate to be under the rain of his negativity all day long I guess.

- Don’t know how assertive is the last one, maybe more of aggressive, but I never allowed myself to do this before.
I was crossing a road, on a zebra, and there was a car coming that saw me, although I felt it rode a bit fast. But I considered it safe to cross because it saw me, but apparently the driver decided to drive anyway and I backed of quickly, being really close to the car. He stopped only then, and gestured with his hand for me to cross, like nothing happened. And I shouted “There’s a zebra here, don’t you see?”
Maybe some will think it’s not a big deal, but for me it is… I never ever shout at anyone, only when I have serious fights with parents/brother, but that doesn’t count.

Anyway I learned I can be assertive, and I am improving more and more! And.. I don’t have to shout or be rude in order to make myself clear. That’s why I don’t consider that last incident with the car as pure assertiveness. More like dealing with demons of “being nice too much”.

I didn’t have much opportunities to work on this assertiveness, so today in an annoying phone call I was a tiny bit better, but still not as I would like to be…
But still, even a slight improvement is great!
I’m becoming more assertive and confident every day :)