Know to say "No"

I happened to read a good article by speaker Rinus le Roux on how to say no and avoid saying yes always. And I just thought of sharing that article with you. Hope it is of some help in your corporate life where each act of yours carries significance and has repercussions.

Here's how to just say 'no'
The inability to say "no" has been blamed on Calvinism, the strict middle-class upbringing that most of us were exposed to, the fear of rejection, etc.Whatever the reason, one thing is certain, this inability has become a disability … all over the globe.It is not a difficult word to learn or understand, but it is definitely loaded with emotional connotations. It is especially bad when a request comes from a superior person or from someone that we love. It is almost as if one goes into the victim mode immediately, saying "yes" when everything in your being is screaming "no"!

There are many reasons why we struggle with this powerful two-letter word. Here are two of the most important ones:
•  Vague boundaries: If your personal boundaries are not clearly defined, it is easier for someone else to twist your arm. The clearer your boundaries, the more difficult it will be for others, or even yourself, to overstep them. Despite the fact that emotions come into play, set your boundaries in a conscious way and trust yourself to uphold them.
•  Deep insecurities: This is the most difficult issue to tackle because it has to do with your self-governance system, which includes your deepest beliefs and values. If you believe you are an unworthy person, operating from a low self esteem, you will really struggle to say "no". You will feel that by agreeing to do what is asked of you, your self-worth and self-value will increase. Ironically, the opposite is actually true. If you constantly give in without taking a definitive stand you are undermining and reducing your self-worth. Dealing with this issue will take you on a journey towards the self and it will trigger a process of empowerment through new beliefs and ventures.

If the struggle to just say "no" to all the requests and demands knocking at your door becomes too difficult, consider the following:
•  If you don't learn to say "no", burnout will definitely be a visitor at your door.
•  You have the right to say "no".
•  Only a fool juggles more balls than he or she can handle.
•  To protect yourself you need to live within boundaries - and you set them.
•  Respect yourself before you respect anyone else.
•  Your self-worth is worth more than being rejected.

We often feel we must always be available to whatever it is we are committed to. Commitment is not a 24/7 availability business. Remember, we teach people how to treat us. The responsibility lies within us to set the boundaries.
When we say "yes", it should be because we want to.
Setting boundaries by saying "no" makes saying "yes" just so much more meaningful.

See you all in my next blog and hope I have been of some service to you today!!