Just Say No

When was the last time you said yes to something when you actually meant no? My guess would be you did it this week, today even, possibly even within the last hour. You see we are so intrinsically hardwired to say yes that it just slips out. Our society tells us that yes is good, that this little three letter word will open up our worlds and our minds and subsequently make life a better place. Even as children we learnt early on the power of yes and no; the emotional pull of both those words and the blatancy of the opposing sides of which they reside. Yes is filled with promise and potential while no is oppressed and miserably final.

I’m an advocate for yes, I believe that learning to say it to certain things can bring dimensions to your life you might have otherwise missed out on. But I’m also a believer in doing something because you want to and not because you feel like you have to. I’m a believer in no.

We are surrounded by pressures to say yes; to our partners and families, to our friends and our colleagues. “Yes, sure I can meet next week,” (even though it’s your one day off and all you really want to do is read a book and be alone) or “Yes, I’d be happy to work late” (despite the fact you haven’t made it home for dinner with your family for a straight week now) and “Yes, I think that’s a great idea (when it’s not, it’s terrible). Yes, yes, yes, until one day we burn out.

It’s time we learnt that saying no can be just a liberating for the soul as saying yes. It doesn’t have to be negative. If you mean it, then say it. Don’t promise something you know full well you don’t plan on delivering. Don’t be worried about other people’s perceptions of the word. This is your life, your decision, and your prerogative. Don’t say yes when you really mean no. Don’t say maybe either for that matter. Don’t sit on the fence of your own life – just say no and say it with conviction.