Committed

“No,” it is such a beautiful word. There are books and blogs that preach on about saying “yes” to everything, “live your best life,” yada, yada, yada… Well I am here to tell you “no.” Say the word “no.” Say it out loud. Go ahead and YELL it. Feels kind of nice, right? Saying no takes way more strength, more courage, therefore making you feel like more of a power house than you ever thought you could be.

It is because saying “no” is not easy. It is a million times easier to say "yes!" So much so that it led to the "yesn't" petition of 2018! What is "yens't?" "Another (or better) way of saying 'no'" (Dictionary.com). This trend went viral in early 2018, supported by the statement "I have a hard time saying no; I'll start saying yesn't" (Twitter). We live in a world full of people-pleasers and where FOMO is real. Plus, not everything we should say no to is bad. We want to go to that concert with friends. It is a great thing to volunteer to help with that nonprofit fundraiser. We should lend a helping hand at church. It’s an honor to be asked to serve on this board…let’s add it to the list of the four other boards we already belong to.

That is the problem; we say “yes” to the first thing and before we know it, we’re serving as an officer and now are in charge of the annual fundraiser for the next three years – help. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, your plants are dying, your refrigerator is dusty on the inside, and it would almost be easier to move and start over than sifting through the mounds of laundry and miscellaneous items that have accumulated in your rushing around.

It’s okay to say “no” to…

• working past your “office hours” or all-nighters.

It’s not to say you won’t have to sometimes, so you still need to be flexible. However, it’s okay to say “no” to making that a regular occurrence or to accepting late calls/texts/emails in a world that is constantly connected.

• distractions during the day that you keep you from being productive so you can enjoy quality time with family and friends after hours.

• over-committing – you should not volunteer at church or on a nonprofit board to the point that people start to think you’re a part of the staff…or to the point you start acting like you are staff.

• guys/girls that do not meet your standards/mission just because you’re lonely or you “may not find better.”

• things that blow your budget.

• going out when you need rest.

• unrealistic timelines.

• clients that you know will give you more anxiety and work you more than the money is worth.

• food that zaps your energy instead of giving you the nutrition you need to power through your crazy days. The right food can turn your day around, just give it a try.

Go to God. Get the sleep. Spend the time with family and friends. Take the vacation. Anxiety: this is the next step in waging war against it. It's okay to say "yesn't."

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. - Psalm 127:2

yens't. Dictionary.Com. Retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/yesnt/