Get the Sparklers Out Again (and Maybe Even an M-80 or Two):
It’s Time to Celebrate Your Own Independence

You’d like to be able to stick up for yourself more—with your boss, your kids, your partner, your coworkers. But when you turn to those books that promise to transform you into walking TNT, you get useless pep talks and “You Go, Girl” slogans that aren’t much help when your boss asks you to come in for the third Saturday in a row. Now there’s a book that gives you real help for advocating for yourself even in those situations that most make you want to do your turtle impression. In How to Stop Backing Down & Start Talking Back, Lisa Frankfort and Patrick Fanning not only give you permission to say “no,” but make it clear that sometimes “get lost” is okay, too. Here’s just some of what you’ll learn how to do:

Get out of nearly anything: Yes, you can say no to your step-cousin’s best friend’s daughter’s dance recital. And the great thing is you can do it without ever really saying “no.” Frankfort and Fanning show you how.

Stay strong in the face of criticism: “You don’t owe everyone and explanation, much less an apology,” say the authors. Yet the minute someone criticizes you you feel an urge to apologize, explain, defend yourself. Frankfort and Fanning give you sound strategies for deflecting criticism and provide lots of real-world examples of them in action.

Deal with the—ahem—“difficult” people in your life: Demanding relatives, other people’s spoiled kids, a tyrannical boss, manipulative subordinates. It seems like you’ll say or do anything just to get keep them satisfied and out of your way. Frankfort and Fanning show you how to reclaim control from them and how to hold your ground with even the most imposing people.

Create your personal bill of rights: When the founding fathers declared us endowed with inalienable rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” they didn’t follow it with a clause excepting you. You’ve got every right to decide how you’ll spend your time and whom you’ll spend it with. Frankfort and Fanning show you how to do this guilt-free.

Make it clear that you are not a 7-Eleven: You don’t have to be open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year. You deserve some downtime and a break from other people. You’ll get strategies for setting your “off hours” and for keeping them inviolate.

For more information email Earlita Chenault or call 510-652-0215, x142