I'll admit that for a while I was a yes person. An overcommitted, stressed-out nutcase of a yes person. (And, if I am to be honest, I still go down this path occasionally.) But then, I read a few articles about how to say no...about how to rid yourself of the guilt...about how to put yourself first. (And trust me, when you do this, those around you will be sooooo happy!) Since we've moved to KL, I've been practicing my use of no. I had to use it last week. And while it still doesn't come easy (Just ask Blaine. I texted him 30 seconds after I said I couldn't participate to express my feelings of guilt.) - it is getting easier. Now, I'm not a habitual sayer of no...I've just learned to pick and choose what's important to me and where I want to put my efforts.
And there is the other extreme, those that seem to say no all the time, those who rarely put themselves out there or get involved. (Though, I will admit that I don't surround myself with too many of these people - as we just wouldn't get along.)
So...where do you stand on the yes-no continuum? Are you balanced? Do you need to practice saying no a little more? Or perhaps, you need to say yes a little more, try something new? We don't need to be the Pinterest Perfect Moms...no judgement here...just encouraging you to find your sweet spot!
I definitely lean to the "yes" side on the continuum - although "no" is always tempting for a naturally reclusive person like me. Somehow, saying yes (even when I feel like saying no) makes me feel like I'm sharing a part of me I have previously kept all to myself. I guess you could say it feels like a sacrifice or a compromise. But sometimes I still say no because, well, I just want to do what I want to do. That's one man's take on it!
ReplyDelete