Sometimes the Best Answer is ‘No’

Ever have one of those days when the whirling madness of life surrounds you? When it seems that more and more stuff gets thrown your direction and it only adds to the mania you are currently experiencing? Then on top of all that people keep asking your to do more and more. Your are someone who gets things done, so people keep asking you to do more. And the whirlwind that is your life keeps growing and growing, and you feel more and more overwhelmed. 

Sometimes the best answer is ‘No’. If you are not going to be the gate keeper between just right and too much…then who will? If you do not protect your own sanity, then why do you feel surprised when you are overwhlemed.  Life will work us as hard as we let it. Things will always keep coming your way. Success breeds success, so when you do something well your reward is more opportunity to work more, and more, and more. Only you can draw the line and say no more. People will use words like ‘opportunity’ or ‘challenge’ to entice you to take on more. Money may be offered, or fame or prestige. Only you can decide if the reward is worth adding to your whirlwind. Only you can meter the value of your time versus the additional work. 

By saying no, you are not missing the opportunity. You are leaving yourself room to breathe and setting aside space for another future opportunity. If your plate is full, how can you say yes when your dream project does come along? If you are overwhlemed, how do you edit when you have a super new idea? Life will always have another thing to offer – something new, different, exciting, creative, or extraordinary. Leaving yourself room by saying no means you have the option to say yes in the future. Sometimes you have to let the whirlwind pass you by in order to embrace the excitement of the future. Sometimes the best answer is ‘No’.