Every year at this time booksellers and website owners produce hoards of guides, books, posts, interviews, podcasts and more, all about how to have a new year that is better than the last. We are all professionals at making resolutions. Most of us have the best of intentions to try harder to get some things straight like making new commitments regarding our time or our finances. Maybe we even have some big dreams and goals that we hope to see realized this year. And so just after Christmas passes we set to fixing our new year. We plan, we jot down our hopes, and we imagine what life would be like if we actually achieved our goals.
This New Year consider a new tradition, learning to make a stand! What should you make a stand on? How about learning to say, NO! Who knew saying no could be something truly beneficial? What if you were to take inventory at the end of this year and find out who you are really living for? Whose opinion matters most to you? To whom or to what did you devote your time?
3 Reasons you need to learn the power of saying NO!
1. When you say No, you are really saying yes! That is, you are saying yes to the things that are most important. When you choose who and what will benefit from the majority of your time, you must then choose who and what will not! This means you treasure and preserve the areas you prioritize. Saying no to something else, simply means you aren’t willing to eliminate time or attention from your priority items and people.
2. Saying no indicates you want to remain true to yourself. You don’t agree to commitments lightly. You choose carefully how your time is sent and you aren’t wrestled in to dutiful obligations. saying no means you know who you are and what is important to you. You don’t make superficial promises you can’t keep. You don’t feel the need to please others by overcommitting to avoid feeling guilty.
3. Saying no, shows people you have a plan. You aren’t being blown back and forth through life as if by some unseen wind. You are the captain of your own ship and you have charted your course well. You don’t plan to roam the open water of life never actually ending up at your desired destination. Saying no, tells people you have thought through why you cannot choose to commit in that way, and that however nice and lovely the engagement, class, or business meeting, may be, you know what you want.
As you consider the year 2015, ask yourself how well you did this year saying no! Did you say yes so often that you had little time left to pursue what matters most to you? Turn that around in 2016! Take our tips on learning to say NO and find yourself more dedicated to seeing your goals realized.