Learning to say “no” will solve 99.9% of our daily issues.
Several high-profile female leaders have recently stepped away from powerful positions, and many are deciding to change careers and transition into less intense roles, burnout being given as a contributing factor to their decisions. From New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern to Meta’s Sheryl Sandberg, Scotland’s Nicola Sturgeon and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki – these women are deciding it is time to say NO.
As we witness these accomplished, high-profile female leaders stepping back from their careers, the “Can Women Have It All” debate is starting to rear its ugly head again. The next generation of women leaders is watching these senior women leave for better opportunities, and the impact could be either empowering or disempowering, depending on your current perspective. I strongly believe that clear boundaries and the ability to say yes or no, make it possible for us to ‘have it all’ (whatever having it all looks like for you).
The reason most of these women give is burnout, and so we all need to learn from their experiences to put in place strategies that will help us regain control of our time. Clear boundaries and the ability to say no are great places to start. Work should not always be so crazy, exhausting, or stressful. Burnout should not be accepted as a simple fact of life. We all need to be ok with saying no and having people say no to us occasionally.
Saying no is healthy. It is also a habit that will help you to reclaim your time and energy and do away with the constant drag of resentment and guilt that comes with people pleasing.
Are you fed up with people taking advantage of you?
Are you tired of co-workers, friends, and family members demanding your time and expecting you to give it to them?
Would you like to be able to turn down requests and decline invitations with confidence and yet inspire admiration and respect in the process?
Here are SIX simple reasons why you need to say NO more often.
- Saying “No” to one thing is also a “Yes” to many other things.
- Learning to say no also helps you to handle rejection better because you understand why – it is never personal.
- Be empowered to make your responses a “hell yes” or no
- Accept that it is ok to say no.
- It stops you from taking too many things on.
- Flip your fear of missing out (FOMO) to the Joy of missing out (JOMO)
Ten ways to No:
- Unfortunately, it’s not a good time.
- Thanks for asking, but I’m not available that day.
- Sadly, I have something else booked.
- I have a prior commitment.
- I wish I were able to.
- I’m afraid I can’t help due to ….. a pre-existing commitment.
- I don’t have the bandwidth for that right now.
- I’m honoured you asked me, but I simply can’t at this time.
- Thanks for thinking of me. … I wish there were two of me.
- I’m sorry, I’m not taking on anything new …….. right now.
Our quality of life is determined by the small habits repeated daily. Learn to say “no”, and 99.9% of your daily challenges will disappear.
Join us for the Joy of Saying No session with Natalie Lue to reframe your approach to saying or hearing no.
Change one daily habit, and beautiful things will happen… at home and work.
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The Joy of Saying No with Natalie Lue
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