Being able to say no is a skill that I developed later in life 😬 I do still have the impulsive YES issue sometimes and working on that. Hard 😂. I love the idea of saying, hmmm, let me think about that instead of the jumping up and down omg yes 😂
I cannot even describe the unmitigated joy I feel when I decide something is not for me, I decline, I put on the calendar:
DECLINED WhateverWhatever
And get to that date and see it.
Almost all of the time I had totally forgotten the invitation. #BecauseDeclined and I never think oh gosh, I wish I were going to that networking event about large language models in downtown Austin tonight
Oh, wow, I will definitely give the calendar notation a spin around the block.
My 'say yes' experience has been a good one – zero regrets. I credit that to my ability to also say no.
Those 'no's' are most often a response to a request for me to do something for someone. While I frequently do say yes to such requests, when I decline, I'm saying yes to myself. Yes to not obligating my current OR future self to something I don't want to or can't do. Yes to being okay with possibly disappointing someone.
Consistently prioritizing my health – emotional, spiritual, and physical – helps me respond with a 'yes, I will do that for you,' or a 'yes, I will do this for me.'
Being able to say no is a skill that I developed later in life 😬 I do still have the impulsive YES issue sometimes and working on that. Hard 😂. I love the idea of saying, hmmm, let me think about that instead of the jumping up and down omg yes 😂
Signed,
Life-long people pleaser
I cannot even describe the unmitigated joy I feel when I decide something is not for me, I decline, I put on the calendar:
DECLINED WhateverWhatever
And get to that date and see it.
Almost all of the time I had totally forgotten the invitation. #BecauseDeclined and I never think oh gosh, I wish I were going to that networking event about large language models in downtown Austin tonight
Oh, wow, I will definitely give the calendar notation a spin around the block.
My 'say yes' experience has been a good one – zero regrets. I credit that to my ability to also say no.
Those 'no's' are most often a response to a request for me to do something for someone. While I frequently do say yes to such requests, when I decline, I'm saying yes to myself. Yes to not obligating my current OR future self to something I don't want to or can't do. Yes to being okay with possibly disappointing someone.
Consistently prioritizing my health – emotional, spiritual, and physical – helps me respond with a 'yes, I will do that for you,' or a 'yes, I will do this for me.'
1. Dammit, I have no idea why my link to your Substack didn’t work. I need to go back in and see when I’m at the computer.
B. YES! I love what you say and that’s precisely it. You also possess the ability to say NO.