Just Say No

Sometimes you just gotta
say NO!

A key to finding happiness is finding balance in our life. When we have too many obligations we get stressed out trying to find the time to fulfill them all. How we balance our competing responsibilities is something only we have the ability to do. No one can tell us what the right balance is; we need to find it for ourselves.  It is our responsibility.

I think most people understand that they need to balance their responsibilities. What they don’t know is how to do it. And that is because they do know how to do it, they just don’t like saying no. After all, if you reject a responsibility or obligation, then you aren’t being responsible. We all know that in order to be a good person we need to be responsible. Saying no is like abdicating our responsibilities. It doesn’t feel good. And this is what sets the guilt cycle in motion.

I am here to tell you don’t need to feel guilty about not being able to do it all. Sometimes the responsible thing to do is to say no. Your responsibilities are to yourself, your family and your community in that order. If you burn yourself out, you aren’t going to be of value to anyone so you need to be responsible to your needs.

Once you understand and accept that it is your responsibility to find the right balance between your obligations, it is fairly easy to do. It is empowering as well precisely because it is so responsible.  Yes, you need to fulfill societal obligations. That is part of what it is to be an active and engaged citizen of the world. But you also need to take care of yourself so that you can help make the world a better place.  That is what being responsible is all about.

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