Be Assertive With Your Boundaries

How well do you set and maintain your personal boundaries?

Boundaries provide a means for protecting our time, allowing us to honor what is truly important to us and to open up space in our lives for fun, family, fitness, and fulfillment.

Allowing boundaries to be trampled on and infringed upon by others breeds resentment and creates small cracks in our relationships that can grow into deep rifts.

Boundaries = Discipline = Freedom = Success

How assertive are you in sharing your boundaries with others? Certainly, we cannot expect anyone to respect our boundaries if we’ve not clearly communicated them.

Make it a habit, beginning today, to clearly communicate your boundaries to those with whom you work, interact, and partner with on projects, particularly the boundaries that are most important to you.

Use the words “I don’t” instead of “I can’t” when sharing your boundaries. Saying “I don’t” draws a line in the sand and makes the boundary sound firmer, more sacrosanct, and non-negotiable.

Some of the boundaries I’ve set and regularly communicate to others include all of the following:

• I don’t schedule client meetings over the weekend
• I don’t schedule or take calls in the evenings after 5:30 pm
• I never answer any phone calls that I don’t recognize. I allow them to roll into voicemail, and my outgoing message discloses my email address
• I don’t accept unpaid public speaking engagements
• I don’t commit to anything that I KNOW that I will not do (or truly don’t WANT to do)
• I don’t serve on more than two boards concurrently
• I don’t spend time or hang around with negative or toxic people
• I don’t answer the phone during a meal, particularly if I’m with another person
• I never attend meetings that I’ve not fully prepared for … or for which there is no agenda provided

What boundaries do YOU need to do a better job of communicating to others?

All the best to you!

Andy Robinson, Executive Coach

AndyRobinson.Coach | 239-285-5575 | [email protected]

"Helping CEO's and executives maximize their influence and impact."

#Boundaries #Communication