5 Pathways to Saying ‘No’—Without Guilt
These five pathways will help you say 'no'—and not even feel guilty doing so.
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3. Don’t take a no to your NO.
Many askers are professionals. They know how to make another person do what they need them to do. When you have decided not to do something stick to it. You will feel much better about yourself if you do. This can be a learning experience for both you and your kids: How to make a choice and stick to it, even in the face of pushback.
4. Use email.
I know this seems like a bit of a cop-out, but really it’s the reason that email was invented…to deliver difficult news. State your reasons for saying “no” clearly and decisively and offer no personal justifications or emotional commentary about this decision or anything else. Your message will land and the asker will not be able to argue and will move on to ask someone else. And there is always someone else to ask….
5. Reward yourself.
Positive reinforcement is a really good thing. Of course, by saying “no” you will have the positive reinforcement that you haven’t added one more thing to your plate, but I think that it’s important that when you have done something good for yourself, you reward yourself.
So reward yourself for a job well done, saying “no.” It can be little, like a wonderful piece of dark chocolate, or big, like a massage. Whatever it is that makes your heart sing.
So there you go…5 Pathways to Saying 'NO'—Without Guilt. Saying “no” is not something that comes naturally to any of us but once you learn the value of doing so you will be on your way to reaching the life of your dreams.
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