The beauty of saying "NO"

When I was a teenager and in my early twenties, I was a “yes a girl” . I was driven by the urge to be the best at everything and soak up everything that the world has to offer. I wanted to do things for people without thinking about the implications.?

I was saying yes to parties, late night “League of Legend'' sessions with my friends, working full time and all night study sessions.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved doing all that. I still do those things. It’s midnight and I’m listening to music and writing this. Yes I’m well equipped to deal with the implications of that.

However, in the past I was incredibly overwhelmed to the point of depression and anxiety.?I was missing out on special things because I was saying yes to everything.

If I say I still don't have problems with it today, I'd be lying. The truth is that one of the smartest decisions I've made in both my personal and professional lives was learning to say no.

Setting boundaries and making choices out of abundance rather than fear are the essence of The Art of Saying No.

Fear-based decisions are typically motivated by concerns about missing out. Will declining mean I pass up the greatest opportunity of my life?

I used to take on everything out of fear that I'll miss out on something. However, while making choices from a place of abundance, I’d? examine how a given opportunity will fit into my life. So far it worked well for me, I know even if I say no to one thing, there will be plenty more possibilities.

I learned to prioritize things,?

I wrote down every damaging and nerve wrecking thing that happened to me because I said yes to everything.? That became a starting point to outline everything I want, my objectives in life, skills I want to enhance, and the kinds of people I want to work with and hang out with.?

If something isn’t aligning with this list my answer is always going to be “No”

Every now and then I still break the terms I’ve set for myself. I was born a rebel. I got? to embrace that at times so I say yes to exciting new opportunities, magical moments and hanging out with my favourite people who got my back no matter what.

I always leave room for brand new thrilling opportunities that I might not always be able to foresee. I don’t want to overextend myself to the point where I miss out on opportunities.

From my standpoint, saying no to some things in life makes your “Yes” even more powerful.?

How often do you say “No” to things??