Saying ‘No’ to someone may be saying ‘Yes’ to peace of mind. (Photo: Moi!)
I envy toddlers and their ability to adamantly refuse to do anything that they don’t want to do. Somewhere between the age of two and this vague stage of adulthood, I’ve learned that ‘No’ is a bad word. Until recently, I’ve accepted every invitation, fulfilled every favor, and answered every call. Pretty soon, I found myself overwhelmed and overextended, with time set aside for everyone and everything except myself. Currently, in the process of unlearning this people-pleasing strategy, I came across a powerful piece of advice on Tumblr:
“Never again do anything you don’t want to do.”
This quote is now a part of my life and I use the phrase as a litmus test before making a decision to do anything, even things that I have to do. Not rushing to say ‘Yes’ to things means that I can prioritize obligations, organize my schedule, and reserve some time for myself.
I’ve been doing some research to gather more inspiration for this new ‘No’ way of life. Check out some helpful articles on the beauty of ‘No’:
- 5 ways to say no without making people hate you (Chicago Tribune)
- Nine practices to help you say no without feeling like a jerk (Lifehacker)
- How to say ‘no’ to everything ever: A universal script for… well, everything ever (Huffington Post)
