Ask For What You Want

• You have a right to make your wants known to others, just as others have a right to make a request of you.

• You have a right to say “no” and be taken seriously, and to say “yes” and still be treated with respect.

• You deny your own importance when you don’t ask for what you want, or when you say “yes” when you mean “no”. • Making a request assertively doesn’t guarantee you will get what you want, but it opens the way for more equal negotiation.

• People can’t read your mind to guess your needs, so speak up for your own sake.

• Saying “no” doesn’t mean you are rejecting the person—you’re simply deciding not to agree with a request.