Day 167: Learning to say "no"

I'm grateful that I have been learning to say "no" in the past few years. And honestly, those in my day to day life should be grateful that I have also learned how to say "no." Learning to say "no" to some things and not "yes" to everything has done wonders for my sanity, for the sanity of my family (I think!), and for my overall health and well-being. Saying "yes" but then being resentful and bitter about it doesn't do anyone any good. But being honest and saying "no" and being free from guilt about saying "no" does a world of good. Sometimes I would say "yes" because I had a reputation of being everyone's "yes" person to uphold. Sometimes I would say "yes" because I was guilted into it by people who didn't really care about me, just about themselves. Sometimes I would say "yes" because certain circles of influence told me that it was the "right" thing to do. And then I got depressed. And that forced me to start saying "no", and then I learned how liberating saying "no" was when I actually meant "no"! And then I learned when to say "no" and when to say "yes". I don't always get it perfect but I'm miles further down the road than I used to be.

Comments

April 5, 2015

The Feast of Firstfruits & Easter Go for Broke Day If it scares you this is the day to go for it no matter what. One Day Without Shoes Day Today is to raise global awareness for children’s health and education. Why shoes? Because shoes help protect from bacteria in the dirt, rusty nails, dirty needles and shoes enable feet to withstand the long distances most children in developing countries need to walk to get to school. Join TOMS One for One There is plenty of criticism out there for TOMS and its short term solutions. Critics don't even buy the "at least they are doing something" statement. However, you have to start somewhere. And every bit of awareness helps something go from short term to long term. We all have a part to play. Read a Road Map Day One of the many reasons I would stink at The Amazing Race is because I never did learn how to read a road map well. I remember doing worksheets and class lessons on maps and I was able to skate by ...

Butter someone up

There are two probable origins for this idiom and I think both are equally plausible. The first one is that when you spread butter on bread you are buttering it up like one would do when trying to flatter someone. The second is in ancient India there was a practice of throwing balls of butter at statues to ask for favor, i.e. buttering them up. ( source ) When we use the phrase today we generally mean that extreme flattery is used to gain information or favor. It's not always necessarily a compliment.

A dime a dozen

"It's said that in the year 1796, the first U.S. dimes were produced for circulation. Hence, it would make sense for this phrase to originate sometime after." Read more here . Today the phrase carries the meaning that something is cheap or without value if it can be lumped in with other similar or exactly-like things. It's more of an insult than anything.

Search This Blog