No

Let’s face it; we are a society who says ‘yes’ when we really want to say ‘no.’ For example: ‘”Melissa! Will you watch my second cousins daughter’s liter of newly born pups? All 15 of them need to be fed every hour, cleaned and bathed twice a day and read to for 6 hours. They prefer ‘The Cat in the Hat.’ Then, you’ll need to heat milk and let the puppies individually lap it off your arm.” Uh….sure?  I then spend my remaining unencumbered time wishing for a cataclysmic event or a merciful Act of God so I can graciously not do what I’ve agreed to do!!

Wouldn’t it be easier if we would politely and respectfully say no to the issues or the items that absolutely don’t resonate with us? I tested this theory several years ago with one of my besties.  She’d asked me if I wanted to do something and I simply said, “no.”  Actually, I believe I said “no thanks” as I am a student of Miss Manners.   She blinked a couple of times and said, “Ohhh. Uhhh Ok.”  She later told me she was somewhat taken aback by my directness as she was used to people saying, “I’ll get back to you” and then never doing so.

What she lovingly allowed me to do was to speak my truth. It was empowering and liberating. I had dipped my toes in the ‘Just Say NO’ pond and it went very well! I wasn’t missing any appendages or a best friend!

That whole seemingly innocent conversation allowed me to find my voice.  I found the courage to honor what my inner self needed. In doing so, I took back my power to make decisions, even if they weren’t what the asker wanted to hear.

I now listen closely to my inner voice when it asks, ‘Does this resonate with you or do you need to think about this before you commit?’  I find by doing this, I am able to positively stand by my decisions instead of wishing for a cloud of locusts.