How to not be such a pushover?

[Anonymous]

OP here. I'm not sure it's childhood trauma. I'm an only child and my parents were great parents. My parents and my spouse are probably the only ones who don't ever make me feel like a pushover. My parents in particular are the opposite, they help me immensely.

But I do think that girls in general get this feeling from society that they need to please everyone. And we're rewarded for it (often with more work!).

I do often feel burned out. Sometimes it's easier for me to say yes and take on lots more work than to say no and deal with everyone else's unhappiness. If I don't take on excess work, my employees have to take it on and they're all maxed out too. They have stayed with me for a long time because I don't burn them out. They're all hard workers though.