tohmkatte_rodriguez

I need to learn to listen to others opinions of me and not be so defensive. If someone is criticizing me or pointing out something about my personality that they find odd or annoying, I need to stop shooting it down as invalid.
1) Think about why they feel the way they do.
2) Is it a misconception? A common one?
3) How many people have you heard this from?
4) Stop just coming to the conclusion that they don’t “know you” well enough or don’t “accept you” for who you are. Maybe you’re not letting them know you.

I have a lot of opinions on a lot of things, but when put on the spot, I get nervous and my opinion sounds hollow or generic. I don’t like getting on a high horse or sounding like a blow-hard. However, I think if I just DO it, I won’t end up sounding that way. I just need to be more confrontational and less passive.

Being assertive has always been a problem for me, so it’s not surprising that it’s rearing it’s little head again. This goes hand in hand with coming out of my shell…I tend to build up a shell so that things just bounce off of me and I don’t let them get under my skin. Things don’t bother me if I don’t “let” them…but sometimes this isn’t good. Sometimes letting people know that you are offended or insulted by something is the best way to stand up for yourself. If I’m more assertive, I can develop a more active (as opposed to passive) approach to every situation.

I’m not too sure how to go about this, or how assertive I actually AM, but I’ll try to keep it in mind at least.