If you find saying ‘No’ difficult, you are not alone.

Women, in particular, are prone to feeling the urge to say yes to just about everything. Learning to say ‘no’ can be challenging but it is VERY necessary to preserve your sanity, your energy, and to create more joy in your life.

If you are a chronic people pleaser, overachiever, or if you find yourself with more to do than time to do it… THIS is for you!

Now that we’re past Halloween most of us feel compelled to throw ourselves into holiday mode, and that can feel great but also very stressful and overwhelming.

If you love every second of all of the activity, shopping, and goings on, then, by all means indulge!

Always do what your heart desires.

If, however, you tend to become tired, stressed, or overwhelmed this time of year then now is the perfect time to consider and PLAN what you’re going to say ‘yes’ to… and what you will say ‘no’ to in order to moderate and fully enjoy the holiday season ahead.

PLANNING EXERCISE:

It may help to settle down with a comforting beverage and a piece of paper and write down all the things that you are responsible for and events that you attend over the holiday season. Then take a look at the items on your list and ask yourself if you want to say ‘yes’ this year or if you prefer to opt-out. Try to avoid the dreaded ‘should’ as a decision maker. My personal litmus to these decisions is ‘if it’s not a ‘hell yes’ then it’s a ‘no’. Feel free to apply this technique to your process!

This simple exercise will give you perspective and allow you to consider your options in advance so that when it comes up, you’ll be ready to flex your ‘no’ muscle if that is the right choice for you this year.

If you would like to download & print a worksheet to use for this exercise, click here 👉 WORKSHEET

REMEMBER:

You don’t have to over explain your decisions. You are fully entitled to them. People understand. And if they don’t, too bad. I know this sounds a little harsh but you will find that once you establish boundaries around your time and efforts, most people will quickly observe and respect them.

‘No’….is a complete sentence. It is a game changer… a life saver… a freeing expression… PRACTICE EXERCISING YOUR ‘No’ MUSCLES and enjoy your holiday season more this year!

If you enjoyed this post and would like to keep in touch…

👉 Please join my email community using this link:

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~ Becky O’Neill, Author
Founder of Specialized Business Services LLC

Would you like help?

I find working with someone that I can bounce ideas off of and who will support me in making important shifts in my business and my mindset is the key to lasting change. There is power in working with a neutral expert. It really helps me see things from a fresh perspective and consider ideas that may not have come to me on my own. Despite our best efforts to be objective, the input of another qualified person is often the missing link. This realization is actually the reason I became a coach!

If you would like to explore the option of doing this work with me, I invite you to schedule a Discovery Call. 👇