This post definitely speaks loudly to me as I just took a little hiatus from blogging. I graduated college (!!!) less than two weeks ago and have been soaking up this exciting transitional time in my life. I am excited to (hopefully) share more of my journey in later posts.
I have always been the type of girl who says "yes". Need a ride somewhere? Sure. Want an extra set of eyes to look over your final paper? No problem. Need a listening ear or shoulder to cry on? I'll be there in a jiffy.
But sometimes, those "yes's" become pilled up. And become, exhausting. Taxing. And each more "yes" that escapes your mouth, takes away a little piece of you. And it's not until recently I have allowed myself the liberty of saying, no.
LEARNING HOW TO SAY "NO"
I have always been the type of girl who says "yes". Need a ride somewhere? Sure. Want an extra set of eyes to look over your final paper? No problem. Need a listening ear or shoulder to cry on? I'll be there in a jiffy.
But sometimes, those "yes's" become pilled up. And become, exhausting. Taxing. And each more "yes" that escapes your mouth, takes away a little piece of you. And it's not until recently I have allowed myself the liberty of saying, no.
LEARNING HOW TO SAY "NO"
Now you might be wondering... doesn't that make me selfish? A terrible friend? Coworker? Partner? Neighbor?
And trust me, those thoughts still haunt me as I push myself to say the word "no". But here's the thing. You're allowed to say no. In fact, you should say no. When something doesn't feel right. Or when you just don't have time. Or, hell, because you just don't feel like it. It may sting the first couple of times you say it.... but then something magical happens. It frees you. Makes you strong. Allows you to use your precious time, the way you want to.
Now the "delivery" is often something I struggle with. My mother's voice rings inside my head right about now telling me "it's not what you say, but how you say it". And gosh that couldn't be more true here. You don't need to sound mean. Or nasty. Or whiny. A respectful, but firmly, “no” is all it takes.
Remember that you have the power to say no. Who else struggles with saying, no?
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