Why “No” Can Be More Important Than “Yes”

Your most precious resource: TIME.   How much of it, and your life, is influenced by your choice of saying either a “Yes” or a “No” to any given situation?  A great deal or not a lot at all?

 

“No” is an uncomfortable word for many people.  Despite it being just two letters long, it is a word that can be very difficult to say.  Let’s see why?

 

• You are a nice person.  If you say “No” it will mean disappointing somebody and that will make you feel bad.  So you don’t say “no”.  What happens?    You lose your valuable time and still end up feeling bad, but this time, with yourself.  Saying “No” allows you to do what you want, when you want, with your life.

• You are afraid to say “No”.  You think your boss will react negatively if you say “no” to the additional work.  As a result you say “yes” and accept it.  Subsequently, your boss keeps regularly coming to you with last minute pieces of work to be completed.   Saying “No” is the first layer of defence in keeping out the unwanted and stops you from becoming overwhelmed.

• You don’t know how to say “No”.   When we look at those people who successfully and easily say “No”, with no undue consequences, it appears that they have mastered an art form.   The reality is that these “artists” have most likely said “No” more often than they have said “Yes”.  Practice, practice, practice brings this skill to you.  Start today.

• You like your life to be busy.   It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing something all the time.  You say “yes” to everything so that no opportunity is missed.   Saying “No” allows you to select exactly which opportunity to take.  This, in turn, raises the quality of your life.  Why?  Because you end up surrounding yourself with the people who are important to you and leave behind the hangers on who don’t enhance your life.   Create a busy quality life.

• You need to feel wanted so you do anything for anyone.  Accordingly, you don’t say “No”.  People love you because they can get exactly what they want from you.  Unfortunately, they may not respect you.  What respect do you want which saying “no” will provide?  You can only get this when people see what you stand for.

• Laziness.  You know “No” is the right answer but the effort involved in explaining “why” takes too much time.  It is easier, just this once, to say “Yes”, and promise yourself never again.  How many times is it now that you have said “never again”? Many? No doubt, the actual “yes” work involved has ended up far exceeding the work required for the “no” explanation?  If saying “No” is the right answer, say it.  It will save you time in the long run.

 

You have the Power of No – use it.

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