Say No so you can say Yes

Hey there Friend,

Do you have a hard time saying no? Maybe you don't want to disappoint people or make them feel unloved. Sometimes when we say no we feel like we are missing out on something or that we won't ever get another opportunity to do the thing we are asked to do.

Yet, one of my favorite sayings goes like this, when we say yes to something we are saying no to something else. If you are always saying yes to everyone else and their needs then you are saying no to yourself, maybe your family, or maybe other things. Every day we have decisions to make. Some are harder than others but nonetheless we all have decisions. Not making a decision is actually making a decision.

When I think about those concepts I realize that learning to make decisions is one the most powerful tools we have as humans. One of the greatest gifts we've received is the gift to choose for ourselves. Many times in my life I've worried so much about making the right decision that ultimately I didn't make a choice and someone else made it for me.

Sometimes it feels like tug-o-war. We want to pull with all our might but sometimes the other team pulls harder and we fall down. We are going to have times when our pulling (aka decision making) means we win and make a good choice. Sometimes though the other side pulls harder and we get knocked down. I believe that making decisions quickly and then holding on with all our might is our best possibility of a good outcome.

We won't always make the best decisions in life, but we can make sure to pick ourselves up and keep trying. Get back on that rope and hold on for dear life knowing that eventually you will have enough people on your team to make it worth your effort.

I believe that setting clear boundaries is one way to help with decision making. When we set boundaries we have a better idea when to say no. Another tool I feel is important is knowing how and what to schedule our time with. If we schedule the most important things in our lives then we know when we can say yes or no because we do know what we have time for.

Remember saying yes to something means your saying no to something else, maybe a multitude of things. When we plan our life and set boundaries it will make decision making easier and more effective. It will always take away some of the guilt you may feel from saying no.



Take Care,
Christy and the family

P.S. Say yes to yourself by developing an attitude of gratitude with our Christ Centered Gratitude journal subscription. Today is the last day to receive the October edition from our subscription option. Click here to check it out.