Dear Angelgirl:

Thank you for the nice words!

There is a difference between being good and being assertive. Very simplified, there are four groups of people: good people who are assertive,  good people who are not assertive, bad people who are assertive and bad people who are not assertive. You are in the second group: good people who are not assertive.

“Should I change myself?”- yes. Become assertive!

But it won’t be easy because you are not used to it and it will not feel right to you (even though it is the right thing for you).

Again, people who have taken advantage of you did so not because you are a good person, but because you are not an assertive person.

There are books and workbooks, I am sure, on being assertive, learning assertiveness skills. Did you ever look  into such literature?

anita