Blindspot!
From Issue: 783 [Read full issue]
Empowering Belief
There are many reasons women have difficulty standing up for themselves. They often find it hard to say 'no' because they feel selfish if they refuse to help someone - even when their own needs are more important at the moment. In addition, they are often afraid people will dislike them if they aren't cooperative. Women often have a fear that if they stand up for themselves, they will be seen as overbearing, domineering, or bitchy.
It takes a lot of courage and self-respect to act on your own behalf. It takes a strong belief that you deserve something better. Unfortunately, many women don't have this kind of self-respect and don't believe they deserve to be treated better. Many are afraid to hope for better treatment because they have yet to receive it. To be able to stand up for yourself, you need to give up waiting for someone else to come to rescue you and your belief that you have no power to change your circumstances. You will need to reach out - ever so tenuously - toward accepting that you have more power to change your circumstances than you think you do. Fortunately, when women focus their considerable strength and will to change something, they are often surprised at how much power they actually have.
You have the right to live your life the way you choose, as long as you are not stepping on someone else's rights. But rights don't mean much if you don't have the courage to claim them. Unfortunately, many women have had their courage stripped away by societal expectations and messages and domineering parents, or from having been emotionally, physically, or sexually abused in childhood or adulthood.
Compiled From:
"The Nice Girl Syndrome" - Beverly Engel, pp. 137, 138