Say NO Easily Without Worry
This Week's Simple Tip
Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to say 'yes' versus 'no'? This seems to play out in many aspects of life. In parenting, on numerous occasions I won "the meanest mother in the world" award because I was saying 'no' to my kids when 'everyone else' was being told 'yes' to something. Even if it was not the best response in the long run, my kids would have been happy, and I would have saved myself lots of time by simply saying 'yes.' In the workplace, there are many times we feel conflicted between personal and professional demands. We may find ourselves withholding our thoughts on issues, because non-conforming, also known as not being a team player, potentially has performance review implications. In my personal relationships, I continuously have to work on saying 'no' to things that come up that I would really like to do and know I should not because I'm already overloaded. In order to make room for some of those new things in the future, I am learning that I have to say 'no' to other long-standing activities. What is it that really makes saying 'no' so difficult in all of these situations? As humans, we have an inner child who seeks approval and validation from others. What we must learn to accept is that we need to be the one giving our self permission instead of looking elsewhere.
This Week's Focus
This week, work on giving yourself permission to be more you! Write down one thing that really makes you come alive, as well as one thing you are willing to say no to in order to say yes to something you want to do. Intentionally focus on taking baby steps to integrate those two things into your life, remembering that subtle shifts can create BIG change.
Click on the serenity sticky to print, cut and post on your bathroom mirror to remind you of this week's focus. Good luck!
A Little Helpful Hint
If your schedule is like that of many others, it is getting more and more hectic as time goes on. We put unnecessary pressure and stress on ourselves by dwelling on what we think we are supposed to do, versus on who we are and what we want. One way to fix the situation is to say no to some things. Because that does not come easy to many of us, here is a quick video for three easy and effective ways to say NO when it is difficult.
