Sometimes the answer is ‘No’. It may be hard to tell someone ‘No’, it may be hard to admit to ourselves that the answer is no, and it may be challenging to get others to receive our no. Yet the answer is still no. It’s called boundaries.
Life is complicated, busy, multiple sides are pushing in and out all at the same time. It can feel overwhelming and daunting to actually tell people ‘No’. It means feeling a bit selfish, a bit uncooperative, and it may even make them mad. The real lesson in saying no is that your life and what you want is worth the conversation, standing up for what works or does not work for your world.
It can be even tougher to tell ourselves no. To live within the boundaries – budgets, timelines, values, ideas – we have set for our own sanity, which means we have to tell ourselves ‘No’ and stick to it. It’s called self discipline, commitment, and trusting ourselves to not give in because it is easier. Everyone else is going, everyone else said yes, and everyone else wants you to go too…yet you know the right answer is no. Tough call, touch choice, and even tougher to live it out when we feel left out.
I like this quote from Venus Williams as she reminds us that even the world’s most talented and well known people have to say no. Her advice, say it with a smile…good idea. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, and in this case that’s a smile. Stick to your guns, live up to being the person YOU want to be…which may often mean that no is the only answer you can provide.
Ann Art Gallery Blog 