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Assertive

November 5, 2019 by Don Kuhl

“The basic difference between being assertive and being aggressive is how our words and behavior affect the rights and well-being of others.”
– Sharon Anthony Bower


I’m getting better at some things.  

It’s not easy for me to change a long-grounded, negative behavior, but I keep working at it.

At the top of my list is to stop being aggressive in the way I communicate. One thing is working in my favor without any personal effort – in my mid-seventies, people are paying less attention to me. I’m not exactly what you’d call a power broker anymore. I probably never was. I just thought I was. But recently, I’m not put in positions in which I feel the need to make a big show of my point of view.

In earlier days, I had this internal need to forcefully let people know a thing or two. Looking back, I was aggressive in my words, though thankfully never in my behavior.

Now I realize I can be assertive, and hopefully persuasive, without infringing on the positive feelings of others.

Getting older gives me the opportunity to get better along the way.

Thank goodness.

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