Courage To Say “No”

By Wendy Collier, B. Ed.

If your life is as busy as everyone else I know then finding time to take better care of yourself can be a challenge. One way of creating more time is to assess all the activities, clubs, meetings, etc. that you are involved in and decide if you are doing it for your own reasons based on what you value in life. Are you doing it because you've always done it, or because your friend is doing it, or because you truly enjoy being there? Most of all, is it meaningful?

It's important to step back from our life every so often and re-evaluate if we are on track with our values, beliefs and purpose. It's okay to say so if a prior commitment is no longer what you want for your life.

It may require that you learn to say "No" when you are asked to add anything more to your schedule. I literally could not even say the word "No", let alone say it to anyone else. So, I started by saying the word "No" out loud when I was home alone. I'd also sing it and say it over and over, "no, no, no, no, no" using different tones.

When I finally found the courage to say "No" to a request, believe me it was very uncomfortable. Again, I felt like I was doing something wrong. After years of practice I am now able to think about a request and ask myself if it fits my current lifestyle, if I have time to do it and if it fits my values, beliefs and purpose.

So, your mission should you choose to accept it..., is to practice saying the word, "No". And the next time someone asks you to do something, tell them you'd like to think about it. You do need to take the time to really think about it and assess all angles of it, to make a decision that you will feel good about.

Remember, this is your life, you have the right to choose what you will do with it.

Enjoy your journey,

Wendy Collier