A little word can sometimes be so difficult to say. Over the last few years, I’ve always tried to do this and unfortunately it hasn’t always been successful. It’s about saying “no”.
A friend of mine never dared to say no at work. He felt like a loser if he turned it down and thought that one or two additional tasks would still be possible. As a result, he no longer had his schedule under control. He was driven by other people, jumped from one task to the next and could no longer concentrate on one topic. He wanted to fight his way free and hand over projects and spoke to his boss. In the end, he ended up with more projects than before. He could no longer manage these projects and ended up in burnout.
Here are a few questions that we encounter in everyday life:
“Can you do shortly …”
“Would you like another piece of cake?”
“Don’t you also want …?”
“A glass of … is still possible”
“Can you still take on this project?”
And suddenly your day is over again because you couldn’t say “no” often enough. What happens then? Your day is packed with new tasks and you can’t focus on the essentials.
Or you put on weight because you couldn’t say no.
no has its advantages:
1. Setting boundaries: By saying “no”, you set clear boundaries and protect your own needs, time and energy from being overloaded or exploited by others.
2. Self-respect: Saying no to things that are not good for you or do not match your values shows self-respect and strengthens your self-confidence.
3. Authenticity: By expressing your opinion honestly and saying “no” when you don’t want to or can’t do something, you live authentically and strengthen your relationships through openness and honesty.
Learn to say “no” in order to be able to say “yes” to other things.