Learning to Say No Again

When it comes to people who are interested in spirituality, the law of attraction and other self-help topics, I have noticed a strange pattern. It seems that these people appear to outsiders as being more soft and this therefore results in them being exploited more. I don’t know about you, but I often find myself agreeing to do things for other people that I really don’t want to do. You might think that there’s a very simple solution to being in this predicament, and there is. Just say no. We all know this word, but sometimes mustering up the courage or the backbone to say it can be tough.

Photo by Christiane Michaud

How many times have you given in to a request to babysit someone’s kids when you were already busy. I’ve done that. How many times have you agreed to proof read someone’s resume (essay, dissertation, etc). Ditto. How many times have you let yourself invite someone who was pressuring you over for dinner? Ditto, ditto. How about pushy sales people who make you feel like you are getting a bargain and then add some hidden costs, while you feel obligated to finalize your purchase despite this fact. Ditto, ditto, ditto. What about tele-marketers calling during dinner? I think you get the picture.

Well this is where all of these push-over tendencies stop. Let us explore a bit more of this “yes-sir” type of mentality before I explain how I plan to stop saying yes to every request thrown at me. Continue reading »