AnvilheadII

seemed timely for the group!

I have the right to ask for what I want.

I have the right to say "no" to requests or demands I can’t meet.

I have the right to express all of my feelings, positive or negative.

I have the right to change my mind.

I have the right to make mistakes and not have to be perfect.

I have the right to follow my own standards.

I have the right to say no to anything when I feel I am not ready, it is unsafe, or it violates my values.

I have the right to determine my own priorities.

I have the right not to be responsible for others’ behavior, actions, feelings, or problems.

I have the right to expect honesty from others.

I have the right to be angry at someone I love.

I have the right to be uniquely myself.

I have the right to feel scared and say “I’m scared.”

I have the right to say “I don’t know.”

I have the right not to give excuses or reasons for my behavior.

I have the right to make decisions based on my feelings.

I have the right to my own needs for personal space and time.

I have the right to be playful and frivolous.

I have the right to be healthier than those around me.

I have the right to be in a non-abusive environment.

I have the right to make friends and be comfortable around people.

I have the right to change and grow.

I have the right to have my needs and wants respected by others.

I have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

I have the right to be happy.

-Author Unknown

honeypig

Thanks for this post, Anvil. All those things are important for me to bear in mind. When I think more deeply about it, it's equally as important for me to remember that these rights apply to other people, too. I am certainly guilty of resenting it when others make mistakes and aren’t perfect, when others have different standards and priorities than I do, when others say no, or when others refuse the responsibility for my feelings or problems. I have certainly not always respected the needs and wants of others nor treated others with dignity and respect.

I remember when I was new to the forum hearing members talk about how the A had a right to drink, a right to live as he/she chose. That made no sense to me--clearly it's wrong to live that way, I thought, how can these folks even say something so nonsensical? As time went on, though, I began to understand that yes indeed, the A has every right to live however he/she chooses. And I have every right to say "not for me." It doesn't make me right or superior. What it DOES make me is FREE.

And so it seems the way for me to get the most out of this Personal Bill of Rights is to make it apply to everyone around me as well as myself. I could remove a lot of the stress, anger and ill feelings from my life if I did that, I think.


Others have the right to ask for what they want.

Others have the right to say "no" to requests or demands they can’t meet.

Others have the right to express all of their feelings, positive or negative.

Others have the right to change their minds.

Others have the right to make mistakes and not have to be perfect.

Others have the right to follow their own standards.

Others have the right to say no to anything when they feel they are not ready, it is unsafe, or it violates their values.

Others have the right to determine their own priorities.

Others have the right not to be responsible for my behavior, actions, feelings, or problems.

Others have the right to expect honesty from others.

Others have the right to be angry at someone they love.

Others have the right to be uniquely themselves.

Others have the right to feel scared and say “I’m scared.”

Others have the right to say “I don’t know.”

Others have the right not to give excuses or reasons for their behavior.

Others have the right to make decisions based on their feelings.

Others have the right to their own needs for personal space and time.

Others have the right to be playful and frivolous.

Others have the right to be healthier than those around them.

Others have the right to be in a non-abusive environment.

Others have the right to make friends and be comfortable around people.

Others have the right to change and grow.

Others have the right to have their needs and wants respected by me.

Others have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

Others have the right to be happy.

hearthealth

I have the right to express all of my feelings, positive or negative.

As long as it's said in a kind and respectful manner.

Also understanding feeling are to be acknowledged by oneself though they also can be deceptive. The other person has a right to clarify misunderstandings.

HardLessons

Yes this is very timely for me.

Thanks for posting. I am going to read this a few times over the next couple days. Its going to take a few reading for it all to sink in.