Are You A Nice Girl…Or A Pushover?

5. Take a Hard Look At Yourself

People who are considered pushovers or people-pleasers tend to base their self-worth on how much other people like them or how much they do for others. It may be that you feel validated by living up to someone else’s expectations, or that you can only be liked if you slide your own feelings to the side in order to always consider others. Being a pushover could be a learned behavior from childhood where we’re taught that positive responses only come when you please other people, not when you please yourself. This leaves you vulnerable to manipulation in all sorts of situations – whether it’s in a personal relationship or in the workplace. It’s honorable to want to go the extra mile to help someone or be the easygoing (girl)friend, but it’s something you should do because you want to, not because you want others to like you. If your self-esteem is based on allowing people to walk all over you, you may want to seek help so that you can gain the strength you need to stand up for yourself and make yourself a priority.