I think I've just been assertive....

Because you're a can do kind of person so saying "no" feels a bit alien. I'm exactly the same - I know when I should say "no" and have all the associated reasons but it still feels wrong.

I think it goes with the territory. I have been assertive today, just making a point, and the reaction I got was very much that I was a bit of a trouble maker

L
xx

Ooooh, I feel exactly the same way. My colleague asked me to support his holiday application (6 weeks off at our busiest time!) and say that it wouldn't impact on our work, whereas I felt that it would - and he hadn't put anything into place to cover his post. So I said that I couldn't support it, but did suggest some things he could do to cover his post and then I would support his application. I feel like such a nasty person even though what I've done is perfectly justified!