I have tried to implement “saying no” more often in my life and it never went very well. It didn’t go well because I couldn’t follow through. The reasons behind why it didn’t go well have something to do with wanting to be helpful, being afraid to say no, and at times thinking that saying yes would get me further ahead.
It turns out that “yes” gets other people further ahead and you not so much.
In the last month or so I have been trying to say no more often and it’s actually been happening. This isn’t about saying no for the sake of saying no. It’s about prioritizing. Say yes to things that align with your life goals. Say no to things that don’t.
Think of the time you spend on non-you things in a 24 hour cycle…it’s crazy. If we are doing work for others we can never do our work. Saying no can often be the biggest stress reliever you can give yourself. I think the problem is that saying no has been turned into a negative thing…I’m okay with that at this point because I need to take back more of my life.
Rather than ramble on and on about it I will leave you with a quote (don’t remember where I originally saw it) and four links to articles talking about “saying no”.
“Before doing something ask yourself…will it increase my bank account, increase my happiness, or improve the world? If not don’t fucking do it.” Rae Hoffman
http://www.fastcompany.com/3009536/leadership-now/why-productive-people-have-empty-schedules
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/why-you-need-to-say-no-more-often.html
http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/say-no-more-often/
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