Here's how you can use motivational interviewing techniques to conquer fear and increase assertiveness.

I’ve repeatedly found that my clients don’t feel like they are worth the change that they so desperately dream of. Whether it is to lose some weight or fix their gut health, they are terribly caught up with the opinion’s of others and have the desire to change but have too much noise in their head. Exploring and talking about their core values helps them find their path to their true-selves which got lost by serving others. This is the first step in making themselves feel empowered and regain control of their lives.

In order to start an Empathy Exercise you would have to be clear on your core values first and make a list of your top 3 role models who embody and practice those core values visibly in their lives. Ask yourself how they got to the position they’re in by beating all the odds and obstacles in their way? Are you an obstacle in your own way? Are your obstacles and goals similar ? Then you can feel true empathy with them in order to understand and emulate their assertive behaviour that they practiced to reach their goal. The practice of “Stepping into another’s shoes,” to imagine how they feel is defined by the German word “Verstehen.”

Agreed. Changes do not always happen overnight, just like our bodies. They change over a lifetime however inevitably they do change. Change is inevitable and working towards it gradually allows you to process your feelings along the way allowing for emotional maturity and deeper insights in to who you really are. It gives you the value of hindsight and grounds you fully in the knowledge that what you want is truly your right. It builds the inner confidence up that no one can shake the ground from underneath you.

Keeping the end in mind and writing it down is one way to work towards your goal backwards. It’s like a plan. When you envision what you want and write it down with a date in the future, then you can also write down the steps you took towards achieving that goal and the assertiveness you have to show along the way and to whom. You can even write the obstacles in the way that you have to confidently tackle assertively. So you know exactly what to do and are ready for any curve balls. that way you have a full plan to reach your goal and you will not get distracted along the way. You are setting yourself up for success.