Why We Need to Learn to Say ‘No’

We live in a world of those who love to take advantage and those who allow people to take advantage. Many of us have not yet learned to put ourselves and our needs first and instead will do anything to keep from letting others down. However, sometimes by not being able to say no to others is letting us down. Whether it is wanting to decline a party you were invited to or taking another shift at work if you do not want to, you shouldn’t and this is why.

1. If you do not want to do something, you will not do it as well as you could.

Or enjoy it as much as you could enjoy doing something else. Why waste your time being bored or unhappy when you could be doing something else? You have to power to decide what you are doing in a day. So say no when your manager asks you to pick up another shift this week when you already had plans you’d have to cancel. You won't be happy at work and you will not be half as motivated to get things done. Say no to lunch with someone who keeps bugging you to go with them. You could be enjoying your time rather than dreading going.

2. If you are always the one that says yes, people will notice and continue to ask you.

If you do a favor for someone once, they will expect you to do favors for them time and time again. After a while if you cannot say no everyone will be asking you for favors all the time because you began to make yourself too dependable and too reliable, then you will be saying yes to doing favors for everyone all the time.

3. Saying yes to someone when you do not want to is saying no to yourself.

You always have to put what you want first even if it is hard. We sometimes forget that we are telling ourselves that we cannot do something because we are doing a favor for someone else.

4. Saying ‘no’ makes you sound stronger and more confident.

And everyone knows that a ‘maybe’ is probably a no, but not a strong one. So be strong and say no. Eventually, saying ‘no’ will become a breeze and you will be able to say it with even more confidence.

5. Others will stop trying to take advantage of you.

If you say no a few times, people will stop asking you for favors because they know it is no longer a definite yes.

6. You’ll be happier.

You will have more time to enjoy and relax. By not putting too much on your plate you will be less stressed out, win win.

7. You may not be letting someone down as much as you think you are.

We are usually much harder on ourselves than anyone else is on us. When you say ‘no’ to someone, they will just move on and ask someone else, easy as that.

We need to stop worrying so much about being nice to others and start standing up for what we want. Our time is short, our happiness is most important. So say ‘yes’ if you really want to and say ‘no’ if you do not and live happily.