How to Say What You Need and Get What You Want

Anyone who has ever met me might think I've always been confident and assertive, but that is simply not the case. I was so self-conscious and afraid of not being liked that I fainted in speech class at the very idea of expressing my own opinion to people I hardly knew. But as the years passed, I have learned how to identify my fears and compassionately address them so that I can go after what I really want instead of settling for less. Last week's Bizarre Bazaar and High Tea is a perfect example of how powerful the spoken word can be.

When it came time to decide what to do for this year's fundraiser, I clarified what I needed: a fun, creative, low cost event that a small team could put together at the Retreat House. But I didn't really have a clue about what to do. I enjoy having theme parties but until now I have only thrown them for my friends. So when it dawned on me that I could do what I already know how and like to do (throw an outrageous theme party), the creativity began flow. The committee for the event was invited to participate in the project in whatever way would be fun for them, which resulted in an involved, creative, and inspired team of gals. Because we were free to speak up and tell the truth about what we each wanted to do, this project took on a momentum of its own. What could have been a potentially stressful, boring old fundraiser, instead proved to be an alive and lucrative project from beginning to end.

If you have a habit of only knowing what you don't want, or if you want to learn how to speak up for yourself and stand strong in your own convictions without the burden of worrying about what someone else will feel about it, join me for a class that can reverse old patterns of being passive, passive aggressive, or aggressive. Learn how to be firmly and calmly assertive. An assertive person knows how to say what they need and therefore manages to get what they want, which makes for a meaningful and fulfilling life devoid of guilt and shame.
How to Say What You Need and Get What You Want
with Sunny Massad, Ph.D.

The fear to speak your own truth can inhibit your ambitions, diminish visions for a positive future, and curb your ability to speak up for yourself. The fear to speak up can destroy fortunes, opportunities, relationships, and, if left unchecked, can even destroy your own happiness and well-being. Worst of all, being unable to ask to get your needs met may empty both your bank account and your heart.