{"id":107,"date":"2008-06-02T05:48:24","date_gmt":"2008-06-02T05:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/ourladyofweightloss\/2008\/06\/claim-whats-yours.html"},"modified":"2008-06-02T05:48:24","modified_gmt":"2008-06-02T05:48:24","slug":"claim-whats-yours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2008\/06\/claim-whats-yours.html","title":{"rendered":"Claim What’s Yours!"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to Pump and Use Your Assertiveness Muscle: Lessons from the Road to Sveltesville <\/strong> – In preparation for my trip this blogger<\/a> made certain that her ASSERTIVENESS muscle is pumped and ready for action.<\/strong>
\nYes, I said, assertiveness muscle<\/strong> \u2013 not to be confused with aggression of any kind. While it is my plan to put my needs right out there and have my requests met with a smile; it is not my plan to yell, swear or stomp my feet.
\nKeeping that in mind, remember that assertive is derived from the word – assert -which meaning is \u201cto state an opinion, claim a right, or establish authority.\u201d<\/em> Yes, that\u2019s right \u2026 claim a right \u2026 claim what\u2019s yours! <\/strong>
\nAggressiveness, on the other hand, is \u201ccharacterized by aggression: inclined to behave in an actively hostile fashion.\u201d<\/em>
\nAs you can see, there is quite a difference between claiming what\u2019s yours and being actively hostile. There\u2019s no need for hostility (even though I suspect it burns more calories)<\/em>.
\nOur Lady of Weight Loss\u2019s Tips on How to Claim What\u2019s Yours While Travelin\u2019 the Road to Sveltesville (without getting the police involved)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n


\n1. Be firm in your conviction.
\n2. State your needs, while considering the other person\u2019s perspective.
\n3. Be polite.
\n4. Be friendly \u2013 and smile (on phone and in person \u2013 smiling travels the phone wires).<\/em>
\n5. Make eye contact, if in person.
\n6. Behave in a way that expresses confidence.
\n7. Respect others and they will respect you, in turn.
\n8. Be patient. If the person with whom you are communicating with does not \u2018get\u2019 your request, re-word it. Again, need be.
\n9. Hold your ground.
\n10. Remember … you are not bothering anyone. It is your right!
\n11. Worst case scenario … All Is Forgiven, Move On.<\/a>
\nWith that in mind, I did telephone the hotel to which I was headed and politely, with a smile on my face (knowing that they could \u2018feel\u2019 it)<\/em> asked them to:
\n1. Remove the ubiquitous and tempting devil\u2019s treat (jars of nuts, chocolate bars, sodas, etc.) that they so beautifully display from my hotel room.
\n2. Asked if there was a refrigerator in my room (there was; if not I would have requested one).<\/em>
\n3. Inquired if there was a fruit market (small supermarket, food store)<\/em> near by. There was in easy walking distance. If there had not been, I would have asked that a fruit platter be waiting for me when I arrived (anticipating wanting something after a long flight).<\/em>
\n4. Checked to see if the hotel had a fitness room and pool, so I could pack accordingly.
\nAnd lo n\u2019 behold \u2026 it was all ‘right’ upon arrival. Had it not been, I would have politely reiterated my requests until they happened they way I want them to, because I am worth it and believe in ‘Claiming What Is Mine.’
\nClaim all that is yours today!<\/strong> Happily and with a smile on your face.
\nSpread the word (NOT the icing!),
\nJanice
\nFor more travel tips (and life tips, too), join the Kick in the Tush Club community<\/a>.
\nJoin me on ‘The Forgiveness Tour.<\/a>‘<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to Pump and Use Your Assertiveness Muscle: Lessons from the Road to Sveltesville – In preparation for my trip this blogger made certain that her ASSERTIVENESS muscle is pumped and ready for action. Yes, I said, assertiveness muscle \u2013 not to be confused with aggression of any kind. While it is my plan to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,20,2,1],"tags":[272,308,307,3821,3822,6,3823,3833,3827,76,3825,309,3817,8,208,163],"class_list":["post-107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet","category-humor","category-inspiration","category-weight-loss","tag-all-is-forgiven-move-on","tag-assertive-vs-aggressive","tag-claim-what-is-yours","tag-diet","tag-diet-coach","tag-dieting","tag-health","tag-healthy-living","tag-kick-in-the-tush-club","tag-lose-weight","tag-our-lady-of-weight-loss","tag-the-forgiveness-tour","tag-weight-loss","tag-weight-loss-coach","tag-well-being","tag-wellness"],"yoast_head":"\nClaim What's Yours! - Our Lady of Weight Loss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2008\/06\/claim-whats-yours.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Claim What's Yours! - Our Lady of Weight Loss\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How to Pump and Use Your Assertiveness Muscle: Lessons from the Road to Sveltesville – In preparation for my trip this blogger made certain that her ASSERTIVENESS muscle is pumped and ready for action. 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