1. Decide to stop being a doormat, a people pleaser or someone who gets pushed around.
2. Start believing in yourself. Work on developing your self-confidence, and setting achievable and meaningful goals. Decide tiy won't be a clone of everyone else.
3. Develop a positive attitude. If you're optimistic and expect to succeed -- instead of being a victim or someone who gets used - then others will treat you with respect and dignity. In many ways, we create what we expect.
4. Get help for the wounds and the damage from your past. Often people who've been wounded and hurt by other people find it hard to develop inner confidence and pride. But there is help available and you can have a different life.
5. Trust your instincts. Not everyone is kind or a healthy influence. If you start to feel uncomfortable then trust your inner feelings and don't allow that person to be part of your life.
6. Learn to be assertive. Being assertive is a skill -- and it's a skill you can acquire. It involves being able to say what's on your mind -- or to say "no" if you want to -- while sounding confident.
7. Be willing to defend yourself or speak your mind. You have a right to your opinions and your personal points of view --so practise speaking up in a calm, confident way.
8. Pay attention to your body language. We communicate much more through our non-verbal cues than the actual words when we use we're speaking to others -- so use your body language to convey a sense of pride. That is, stand up straight, make eye contact and use a warm, but steady, voice.