Learning to say "no" has been the most challenging task of my life. By nature I love to say "yes!"
"Can you make 10,000 cupcakes by tomorrow morning?" Never mind that it is 9 p.m. and I have nothing in the house except crackers. I can do it! "Sure!"
"Can you take me to the doctor, mall, and phone company after you work Tuesday morning?" Let's see. I work in another state. You are one hour away. The doctor, mall and phone company are two hours from you. "No problem!"
"Can you bring me (fill in the blank)??" Let's not speak of the fact that it is 10 p.m. and I have been in bed for an hour. I can surely find a pair of pants and shoes in a few minutes and be right there. "Certainly."
You see the problem. With all this "yes" stuff going on, I can't find time to do the things I really want to do. And, what I really want to do is be at Lazy Bee Farm playing with my toys -- goats, roving, knitting, books, soap -- you get the idea.
So why is it that saying "no" makes my brain ache?
This week I have hit the wall of saying "yes" to everything. I have grown frustrated and annoyed with all the demands on my time that are not necessarily top priority to me. I really want to say NO and not feel mean about it.
The Dali Lama wrote in the Art of Happiness that the most compassionate act one can often make is to say no and let the individual deal with their own fall out. I really want to be compassionate. I really want to pick and choose my daily commitments. I really want to not have to eat a Tums when the phone rings.
So, how do I do this? Ideas?
That's a hard one for sure -but a necessary one so you can breath. Maybe you can say not this time but try me again later?
ReplyDeletevickie
That's definitely a hard lesson to learn!
ReplyDeleteJane
I'd pass on all of my secrets to you but I don't have any. So I have resorted to using caller ID and just not answering the phone until I know who is calling and what they might want. This way it gives me more time to think things through and formulate a reasonable response.
ReplyDeleteI do like Vickie's idea of a counter-offer which they can accept or they can refuse. Either way you come out of the situation better.
Good luck!!
Sandy