Last time, we talked about stress. Many times, the thing that stresses us out the most is our tendency to over-commit ourselves. In other words, we say yes to the wrong things. We often do this because we just want to help those around us or because we know that we have the ability to help.
It’s great to want to help others, but we need to ensure that we’re not chronically saying yes to other people’s agendas without moving forward with our own agendas. We can all agree that there is a plethora of events and activities that we could say yes to: work meetings, school activities, committees, family requests, and so on. So how do you decide what stays and what goes?
Keep in mind that when you say no to something, you’re actually saying yes to something else. When we commit to the activities and events that are important to us, we do a better job of honoring ourselves and others.
In order to determine your true yeses and no’s, ask yourself a few key questions:
• What is most important in my life right now?
• Where do I want to spend more time?
• Where do I want to spend less time?
• What is the most important activity or area in my life?
In answering these questions, consider the five big areas of life: career, financial health, relationships, and spirituality. Make a list of activities in each area that require your attention right now and rate them on a scale of one to five, where five is the most important.
Once you’ve done that, congratulations! You’ve just made a list of your new priorities. Use that as a filter by which you evaluate requests that are made of you so that you know when to say the three magic words, “No thank you.”
Do you find it a challenge to say no sometimes? Imagine if you have someone to guide you to a place where you are a priority, where you’re constantly honoring your yes’s and no’s. How do you get there?
Well, you can start by visiting my website at www.EYBLCoaching.com and clicking on my 90-day “Light Up Your Soul” program, where you and I can connect and talk more about it. I look forward to hearing from you.
