Stop Giving Away Your Personal Power at Work and Set Boundaries

Stop Giving Away Your Personal Power at Work and Set Boundaries

You give away your personal power when you let others negatively affect how you think, feel and behave. It makes you mentally weak, and you need to take back control. It would be best if you remain authentic to yourself in all situations. When you start acting differently around certain people, you are giving away your personal power, and it would help if you develop your self confidence, then create and set boundaries.

Yes, you can be a nice person and still call people out on the things that don’t sit well with your principles. At the workplace, you need to stand up for yourself when there is an injustice done to you. Don’t let either your superiors or subordinates guilt you into doing things that make you uncomfortable. Here are some of the ways you can stop giving your power away at work by setting boundaries.

Let Other People Be Responsible For Their Emotions

When you are at work, you are there to work and get paid, not to make friends and please everyone. You can’t make everyone happy all the time, and it is essential to set boundaries when someone tries to guilt-trip you into doing something for them. As long as you are doing the right thing and following the rules at work, you don’t need to go out of your way to do things for people to make them happy. You have the right to say no, and if someone thinks you are a terrible person for it, then that’s their problem. To ensure you have a good working relationship with your colleagues, you need to clarify that you don’t tolerate certain things, ensuring you don’t give away your power.

“Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings, and emotions.”

– Will Smith

Acknowledge Your Choices

There are so many choices we make throughout the day, and they define our character as individuals. You don’t have to make small conversations or go out with colleagues if you don’t want to. These are some of the choices you can make in the workplace. You are your own person and not letting others make these decisions for you is a way of setting boundaries and retaining your personal power. You need to choose the things you want to do and being brave enough to deal with the consequences, if any.

” We all create our own reality by the choices we make.”

– Cuba Goodin Jr

Live According To Your Values

In the office, it is very common for colleagues get together after work on the weekends and attend events together. For sure, it is nice to be included, but not cool when you get forced to participate in things that go against your values. Other people’s opinions and choices shouldn’t determine how you choose to spend your time off work. When you develop your self confidence, other people do not get to make decisions for you because you don’t give them that control over your life.

For instance, when there is an office party and all you want to do is to go home and put on your pajamas. You should not let someone talk you out of it. It’s important to follow through with all your plans, no matter how much the crowd tries to convince you otherwise. Develop your self-confidence and do the things you love and value without explaining yourself to people.

Forgive And Move Forward

When someone does or says something that offends you, you don’t need to hold grudges because that only hurts you and not them. You may still have to talk to them because you work together, but you don’t have to be friends or associate with them at all. It’s best to keep it professional and don’t internalize the situation. This way, you have a peaceful working environment while still maintaining your personal power and not letting someone affect your mental health. You forgiving what they did does not make it right, but you get to be the bigger person and choose your peace of mind over unnecessary drama.

Stop Trying To Prove People Wrong

When you are always trying to prove people wrong in the office, you give them power over you. When you are right about something, there is no need to try and prove your point. If you are doing your best to achieve your goals, other people’s opinions don’t matter. If you try to show someone you are better than them, that shows them how much you are craving for their validation and how much power they have over you. Stand up for yourself and speak with conviction whenever someone tries to control you.

Conclusion

Your colleagues are not your friends or your family. You need to set boundaries in your workplace, or else everyone will walk all over you and think it is okay. The first time you feel that someone is feeling entitled to an explanation of how you live your life and your choices, it is the exact moment to speak up and establish the boundaries. You can have friends at work, but you are there to work and make a living, so don’t let anyone, your superiors or subordinates, make you feel like you have no choices in matters concerning you. The only way to build healthy relationships at work is through setting boundaries and having mutual respect with co-workers. You need to realize that when you lose your personal power, you are losing yourself.