Assertiveness as a Quality Derived from Self Knowledge

Based in New York, Joshua Dietz has held roles such as therapist and counselor, and worked with clients in overcoming issues such as anxiety and depression. A prolific writer, Joshua Dietz authored the book “How To Get What You Want: Building Assertiveness So You Can Live Life on Your Terms.”

At the core of becoming more assertive is learning to trust one’s intuition, or the voice within that drives you toward a specific course. This “natural intelligence” can be channeled though an assertive mindset in aiming toward a goal and exerting maximum effort to get there. However, you may have to work through other voices, including those that express fear of failure, and of being talked about if you make a mistake. These voices distract and demoralize, and prevent one from reaching one’s true potential.

Not everyone is naturally assertive, with this quality often reflecting inherited personality traits and upbringing. However, anyone can learn to become more assertive, through first gaining the self-knowledge that enables you to identify what you want. This requires looking inward and asking critical questions, such as what is truly meaningful in your life and how your time can best be spent.

This helps define goals that often have a central objective of allowing you to live life on your own terms. Putting this to work over the long haul requires cultivating complementary qualities like persistence and a quest for self understanding. As Mr. Dietz describes it, “It is not enough to have the will to act, one must have the will to listen.”