Saying No is a Secret Superpower You Need To Learn!
Practice saying no and prioritize yourself.
Created with Midjourney
Many people believe that you should say “yes” to as many things as possible. That way, you can experience new things, and keep yourself occupied.
I’m going to tell you something different.
Saying “no” to as many things as possible is going to benefit you in ways you could never have imagined, and those who say “no” often have a superpower.
That superpower is the power of having more time.
Time is our most valuable asset, and you must do everything to protect it.
You may not realize it yet, but you are wasting hours each week by saying “yes” to too much.
It’s time to take control back in your life.
Everything you say yes to, means you say no to something else.
We’ve all been caught saying yes to someone because we thought it was the polite thing to do.
It likely went something like this:
“They’ve been asking me to meet up for weeks, I owe them at least an hour of my time.”
No. No, you don’t. You don’t owe anyone anything.
Here is something you probably haven’t thought of.
When you say yes to this person, you are now saying no to everyone else, including yourself. You are spending time with this person who you don’t want to, instead of your kids, your wife (or husband), and yourself.
So who matters most to you?
When you are 80 years old, will you regret having not spent time with this person, or having not spent more time with a loved one?
Each time you say yes to someone or something, you are saying no to everyone and everything else.
Say “yes” wisely, and rarely.
You’re causing yourself unnecessary stress.
You may not realize it, but you are invoking stress on yourself when you do things you don’t actually want to do.
Not only because you are doing something you don’t want to, but because the whole time you’re doing it, you’re thinking about how you rather be golfing, or cuddling your husband.
You’re literally putting yourself through stress and pain, and for what?
To be polite? Or to do “the right thing”?
The right thing is to prioritize yourself, and your loved ones.
The right thing is to value your time.
You only have so much of it, use it properly.
Wasted time adds up quickly.
If you’re like anyone else in this world, you end your day saying,
“I wish there were more hours in the day”.
Well, there could be.
That person you got coffee with and the meeting you didn’t need to take added up to be 3 hours. What could you do with an extra 3 hours in your week?
Now add in all the people who texted you who you don’t really care to text back but do it anyways. It adds up quickly.
With all this newfound extra time, maybe you could start working on that new project you’ve been putting off, or maybe you could spend time with your partner nurturing that relationship.
You’re wasting more time than you realize.
And then there’s the energy…
Aside from all the time you’ve wasted, you’re also wasting your energy, and brain power.
Let’s go back to that coffee you went for and the meeting you took… That person asked you question after question, and you had to think about how to answer properly.
You only have so much brain power to use in a day. So, how do you want to use it?
Do you want to use your brain power to answer mundane questions that you really don’t care about, or do you want to use it to figure out that problem that’s been bothering you at work?
On top of that, you probably came home and felt lazy now. Instead of being attentive to have a conversation with your wife, or to do some work, you’re going to watch Netflix.
So the time you spent after the wasted time also goes wasted.
See what I’m getting at…?
Stop wasting time and energy! Value it!
You’ve convinced me… How do I fix this?
In the wise words of Derek Sivers,
“If it’s not a hell yeah, it’s a no.”
This is exactly as it sounds.
If you are not excited to do whatever you are committing to, just say no. It is not worth your time.
You will likely spend the whole time sitting there wishing you would have said no.
We have all filled our schedules more than we can handle. We are busy, we are tired, we took on too much, we have loved ones who need us… and WE NEED US.
It is time we start prioritizing ourselves, and not feel bad for it.
When no becomes too much.
I can’t go without saying this. You can say “no” too often.
If you start saying no to everything so you can sit around your house and do nothing, start saying yes.
If you find yourself just being lazy, becoming anti-social, or hating your life… it’s time to get out there again and start saying yes.
You have to know when it’s time to start saying yes to things. This is one of 100 reasons why I always say that self-awareness is extremely important.
You must be self-aware enough that you know your situation, you know if you need more time, and you know if you need to socialize more.
So, to be clear… Don’t say no to too much if you are not already keeping yourself busy, and productive, and are often around loved ones.
Know yourself, and know your perfect balance.
Conclusion
Saying no is a secret superpower that you need to learn.
But, like any superpower, it can be used for the wrong purposes.
To truly master this superpower means to know when you should also be saying yes.
So, learn about yourself, be self-aware, and know your perfect balance. Once you know all of this, learn to say no.
It will be one of the greatest things you will ever learn.
Thanks for reading
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