Stand up for yourself because no one else will stand up for you. No one else will defend you when people do you wrong. No one else will explain your intricacies as well as you do. No one else will protect your passion and your values as much as you do. No one else has that power but you. You’re the only one who can set the tone for how people treat you.

Stand up for yourself because it teaches people how to treat you. You draw the line. You set the rules and you dictate what they can or can’t get away with. You teach them what you accept and what you don’t. You don’t have to stay quiet when someone hurts you or humiliates you.

Stand up for yourself because it’s your basic human right. You’re not being mean or immature when you stand up for yourself. You don’t have to let everything go to be the bigger person. It’s not a crime to speak up, to let people know they hurt you, to walk away from people who constantly offend you with their words or their actions and it’s not a crime to remember your worth and remember that you deserve to be treated with respect. It’s your right to put an end to certain behaviors you can’t tolerate.

Stand up for yourself because you’ll need it. You’ll need it when your values are being questioned, when people are accusing you of things you didn’t do, when people are being rude and condescending just because they can. You’ll need it when people are trying to bring you down, when they’re trying to break you and when they’re trying to make you feel like a failure. You’ll need it when people are trying to make you feel like you’re not good enough.

Stand up for yourself because it’s vital to your happiness. If you want to be happy, you need to be strong enough to stand up to others; whether friends, family, coworkers or people you’re dating. You’ll never be happy if you’re surrounded by people who make you feel inferior or don’t bring out the best in you. Self-love is crucial to happiness but also feeling loved and appreciated from the people around propels you to do great things and live a robust life because when you’re always motivated, inspired and valued, there’s really nothing you can’t conquer. 

This is how to stand up for yourself.