9 Practical Lessons From the Book “The Art of Saying NO”

1⃣ Reasons We Struggle To Say No

❌ Most of us were raised to believe that saying no is rude and egocentric.

This belief becomes a significant part of our value system.

2⃣ The First Step

👉 You’re about to learn the unhealthy reasons you dread saying no.

Recognizing them – some are less obvious than others – is the first step toward freeing yourself from the fallacious belief that saying no is mean, cold-hearted, or selfish.

3⃣ We want to avoid Offending People

💔 People often take offense at things that aren’t intended to give offense.

An example is hearing the word “no” after they ask for someone’s help.

4⃣ We want to avoid seeeming Selfish

🤠 Most of us care how others perceive us. We want to be thought of as good, caring, helpful individuals.

To that end, we go out of our way to appear so through our actions.

5⃣ We desire to help others

😀 Think back to the last time you helped someone. I’ll bet it felt good.

Your actions or advice improved that person’s day, which was probably a fantastic feeling.

6⃣ We struggle with low Self-esteem

👉 Self-esteem is a tricky, slippery thing. Sometimes, we’re confident to the point that we feel we can conquer the world. Other times, we feel utterly insecure. We second guess ourselves to the point that we’re unable to take any action at all.

7⃣ We want others to like us

🤓 The desire to be liked is universal. We want others to be drawn to us, to trust us, and to feel better for having spent time with us.

8⃣ We want to appear valuable

⭐️ Think back to the last time you served as a resource for someone. Maybe this person sought your advice about something.

Perhaps he or she asked your opinion. Or maybe this individual approached you for information that would benefit him .

9⃣ We succumb to emotional bullying

📍You’ll occasionally run into people who refuse to take no for an answer. They’ll go to great lengths to compel you to say yes, including using emotional bullying.