Yesterday we talked about how no is a beautiful word. It is a word that brings freedom. The ability to say no to lesser things is of great value when pursuing the greatest things in life. But for whatever reason, we have a hard time saying no.
Today I want to talk about how to say no. To say no you need to:
Affirm yourself
One of the reasons we say yes is because of our insecurities. Many of us are born people-pleasers and we don’t want to let others down. We seek the approval of others. We want to be liked.
But remember that you are a child of God. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of you other than God. Saying no starts with understanding we are accepted by him regardless our acceptance by anyone else.
Know your purpose
Knowing why you are here goes a long way in helping you say no. By knowing where you are going, it is much easier to make choices. If you are driving to a destination and you know the way to the destination, you will avoid the roads that will lead you away from the destination. It is the same in life. Having a clear direction will help you avoid everything that distracts.
Give yourself time to think
A good piece of advice is never rush a major decision. There is a reason when you go to a car dealership that you are pressured to make a decision before you leave. The best thing you can do is walk away and give yourself time to think.
Take time to give your answer. Think about it. Stepping away from a decision for a time will often bring clarity. Allow yourself time to pray and for God to speak into the situation.
Don’t make excuses
Just say no. Sometimes an explanation is required. If you tell your boss you are not coming to work on a given day, you will need to give an explanation. But more often than not, you don’t need to justify yourself. Let your no be no, and leave it at that.
Let go of control
There are times where we can’t say no because we feel we need to be in control. This happens with our work. You may have certain expectations for a job. You may feel that you are the only one who can do the job the right way. You have trouble relinquishing control to others because no one else will do as good of a job as you. That may be true, but sometimes we need to settle for good enough.
Thought for the day
Where do you need to say no? What helps you say no?
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