behavior, it gets really easy to say, “No, I don’t want to be
treated like this/spoken to like this.”
Probably the best way to start this is with your own family.
Over the years, we get set in patterns of behavior. Say, for
example, you might be used to going to visit your parents and
coming away feeling bad because they put you down or made
you feel inadequate. You can change things by saying to your-
self, “I won’t put up with this anymore.” And then don’t put
up with it. Speak your mind. Say you don’t like being
criticized/told off/made to feel small; you are an adult now and
are entitled to respect and encouragement. Setting personal
boundaries enables us to resist pushy people, rude people,
aggressive people, people who would take advantage of us,
people who would use us unwisely and unwell. Successful
people know their worth and don’t get messed around.
Successful people are the ones who can recognize emotional
blackmail, people playing games with them, people on the
make, people who themselves are weak and needy, people who
dump on others, people who need to make you look small to
make themselves feel big. Once you’ve got those lines drawn
around you, it gets a whole lot easier to stay behind them and
be firm, resolute, strong, and assertive.
SETTING PERSONAL
BOUNDARIES MEANS YOU
DON’T HAVE TO BE SCARED
OF OTHER PEOPLE
ANYMORE.