Why Say No

Day 353 / 365

I can safely say that 2019 has probably been the busiest year of my life. I have overworked for sure, and while most of it was for my own good, there were still plenty of tasks I did reluctantly, just because I couldn’t say no.

It’s really hard to say no. We all crave instant gratification. Saying no gives you just the opposite. It gives you instant guilt, as you feel the sadness or sometimes even anger of the person you are saying no to. On the other hand, saying yes is always the easy way out, and it makes you feel good at the moment as well.

But that’s all that it is, it’s just a moment’s pleasure, but you would start feeling worse minutes later. Which is why it is important to say no, to anything that you are not absolutely sure about doing.

And it doesn’t always have to be bad, you could say no in ways that would soften the blow. You could make a counter-argument and offer something that might be more manageable for you. You could refer them to other people who would be willing to do the work for them. What’s important is that the sooner you decline the better it is. It doesn’t get any easier later on.

Another thing to note is that while the initial reaction to you saying no might be anger or frustration, with time people would surely respect you for how much you value your time. This will be also set boundaries for your relationships with other people. If you don’t set them yourself, someone else will do it for you.

This post is part of my 365 Day Project for 2019. Read about it here

Yesterday’s blog — Centenarians