Don’t Act Like Prey! Be Assertive! (12)

The American black bear is a good example of an assertive animal.  (Do not confuse a black bear with a grizzly bear!  Grizzlies are mean and very aggressive.)

Black bears do not prey on other animals.

If attacked or threatened, a bear will stand up for itself and fight.  If it does not feel threatened, it leaves others alone.

Like rabbits and mountain lions, the black bear is what nature made it.  It does not have a choice.

As humans, we can always choose!

When we are assertive, we communicate our thoughts and feelings to other as appropriate.  We stand up for ourselves.  We do not let other take advantage of us.  We respect our rights and balance that with respecting the rights of others.

This is one of the most important strategies for professional and personal success.  It is not enough that we are assertive in one aspect of our lives; we need to be assertive in all aspects of our lives.

This can seem difficult to do, until we remember that it is really all about respecting rights, our rights and the rights of others.  We respect others and ourselves.