Are you a people pleaser? Do you think and do for others before you do things for yourself? Are you a “yes” person, typically always accepting invites or volunteering yourself even when you might not really want to do the activity? Why do you say yes to stuff when you really want to say no? Were you raised feeling like that’s the polite thing to do; that in order to be a good person, you need to always give to others first?
I absolutely believe that a big part of our lives needs to be about contributing and giving, but in order to be of great benefit to others, we need to take care of ourselves first. And one of the things we have to do from time-to-time is say “no” to others. Saying the word “no” is a very positive thing in my mind! Let me give you a few reasons why!
4 Reasons Why the Word “No” is a Very Positive Word
- You Are In Control of Your Life When you say “no” to something that you really don’t want to do, it shows that you are in control of
your life. And that’s the best feeling when you know you have choice. And you DO have choice. In the beginning, it will probably be hard to say no to things if you are not used to doing it, but it will get easier as you do it more.
- Keep Focused on Priorities – By saying “no” to certain activities that don’t fit into the well-being of your life, it makes you keep focused on what’s really important in life.
- Self-Care – It can be very stressful sometimes when you are constantly doing things for others and only doing it because you would feel bad or guilty if you said no. You must be your top priority in life. Taking care of yourself is so important.
- Live with No Regrets -Life is too short spending your time doing things that are not enriching your life. Live your life with zero regrets. Spend a lot more time doing what makes you happy. When you really start realizing how short life is and the need to prioritize your life, it becomes a little easier to say no to things that don’t fit into your life focus.
What are some things that you say “yes” to, that really need to be a “no”? Remember; if it’s not an absolute yes, think before you commit, because it probably should be a “no”.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on what you are going to say ‘no’ to this week in order to say ‘yes’ to your own life!
Time management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control, and the clock keeps ticking regardless of how we lead our lives. Priority management is the answer to maximizing the time we have. – John C. Maxwell
No isn’t always negative… keeping focus on what matters, intentionally choosing what brings us joy – powerful! Will share! 🙂
Thanks!
You rock my friend! Thanks for always being awesome Alli. Have a fantastic week. We’ve got this!
Thank you for the reminder, Cynthia. Once we start saying yes to people, they start expecting it. Time to break the cycle.
I wish you a fantastic, productive week Liz. You’ve got this. Thanks so much for the shout out. Let’s do this.
We have talked about this topic and because you’ve really fostered that deep soul searching process, I’ve come to some valid conclusions about how yes and no impact my life. No is good. Yes is good. There is the right time for each word and resulting act. Evaluating and making the right choice for that moment is the key. I find the word ‘no’ to be a critical part of my day. Saying no to things that distract me is more important and makes a greater contribution to my success than saying no to someone who needs help. I don’t feel guilty about saying no to things like “Will you bake 36 cupcakes?” In fact, I don’t feel guilty about saying no at all. My evaluation gauge is based on what my heart tells me. I’m getting a lot better at listening to my heart. And you know what? Sometimes my heart says to say yes, even if it’s something I don’t want to do. On the other hand I need to get a lot better at saying no to myself when my mind wanders, when I do one thing instead of another that has far higher priority. Your key point #4 is where I’m headed with this response. Just as each of us is unique in our skills, interests, abilities, and appearance, we are also unique in how we define success and living a life with no regrets. No regrets for me means knowing myself so well that I choose my yes and no wisely.