In our support group this week, we were discussing assertiveness and how hard it is for us to be assertive. Some of us may have problems telling others what we need or asserting our rights because we may not know what our needs are or feel we have a legitimate right to those needs. To help with this, we each took turns reading from a handout called "Personal Bill of Rights" and it was so empowering I wanted to share it with everyone on the board. You may want to post these up somewhere or make a recording of yourself stating these rights.

Personal Bill of Rights

1. I have the right to ask for what I want.

2. I have the right to say no to requests or demands I can't meet.

3. I have the right to express all of my feelings, positive or negative.

4. I have the right to change my mind.

5. I have the right to make mistakes and not have to be perfect.

6. I have the right to follow my own values and standards.

7. I have the right to say no to anything when I feel I am not ready, it is unsafe or it violates my values.

8. I have the right to determine my own priorities.

9. I have the right not to be responsible for others' behavior, actions, feelings or problems.

10. I have the right to expect honesty from others.

11. I have the right to be angry at someone I love.

12. I have the right to be uniquely myself.

13. I have the right to feel scared and say 'I'm afraid."

14. I have the right to say 'I don't know.

15. I have the right not to give excuses or reasons for my behavior.

16. I have the right to make decisions based on my feelings.

17. I have the right to my own needs for personal space and time.

18. I have the right to be playful and frivolous.

19. I have the right to be healthier than those around me.

20. I have the right to be in a non-abusive environment.

21. I have the right to make friends and be comfortable around people.

22. I have the right to change and grow.

23. I have the right to have my needs and wants respected by others.

24. I have the right to be treated with dignity and respect

25. I have the right to be happy.

I've seen this before. I have yet to follow it.

I think I will, now.

xoxo
Maggi

I copied/pasted it so I can read it every day. Thanks for sharing that, Karen

I like those bill of rights and do practice many off them much better than when I was a tiny tot of 25....
But I've never got the hang of "I've the right to be happy".

However being assertive with oneself and living up to my "bill of rights" really does help me put this sa stuff into better subjection to my mind. There are many areas it does not control me any more. Yet there are many areas where it does. So far to go.

Thanks for sharing. It really helped me today.

I got the same worksheet in my support group. Thanks for sharing it with everyone, Karen. It is a really good list.

This is wonderful. I will print this out and carry it with me.

I've seen something like this before but I don't usually follow all of it. I should though. It's good to have the reminder.