The Power of Saying No

Never underestimate the power of saying no. Saying no doesn’t make you selfish, mean or inconsiderate. Saying yes to everything and everyone usually leaves you burned out, overextended and resentful. Realistically, you only have so many hours in a day and with all the demands on your time, you’re going to have to learn to say no more often than you probably do. Here are five things to consider about the power of saying no:

Allows You to Put Yourself First

We’ve all probably heard this saying before, but it’s worth repeating – “When you say yes to something, you’re saying no to yourself.” Most of us don’t have enough hours in the day to take care of everything we need to take care of for ourselves. Now, take that already limited amount of time and spread it across every other request demanding your attention. If you say yes to every outside request you will probably never take care of your own personal responsibilities. From now on, when you get a request, ask yourself, “Is this worth me saying no to myself?”

Protects Your Peace

How many times have you said yes to something and later regretted it? And how long did you stay mad at yourself for saying yes, when you know you should’ve said no? More often than not, saying no will help you protect your peace. We’re all grown and at this stage of the game, we pretty much know what’s going to disturb our peace. However, many times we get caught up in being nice and say yes to things we know we shouldn’t. Start protecting your peace by saying no. If you don’t, who will?

Protect Your Peace. Say No.

Allows You to Stand in Your Power

No is usually the first word little kids learn to say. They say it was such power and confidence too. Unfortunately, over time, we adults “train” the no right out of them instead of teaching them its appropriate use. There’s so much power in your no. It allows you to take control over your time, your energy, your presence, your relationships, etcetera. Don’t underestimate the power of your no.

Allows You to Claim Your Voice

Society has conditioned women to say yes to everything and everybody, but themselves. That nice girls say yes, and if you say, no, you’re somehow being difficult. Do you ever stop and ask yourself why you say yes to things? Are you saying yes because you want to or because other people expect you to say yes? When you say no to things and people, regardless of others’ expectations, you reclaim your voice. You silence and disregard yourself when you go along to get along.

Lets You Control Your Time

When you say no, you take control of your time. Time is our most precious asset, whether we realize it or not. You can make more money, but not more time. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. When you say yes to everything and everyone, you lose control of your time. Ask yourself, “Is this the most valuable use of my time?” Examine whether or not that request is worth investing your yes. If it’s not, say no and take control of your time.

What power have you found in saying no? Drop a comment below.