Most of us want to be liked. We don’t want to disappoint people. This makes us reluctant to say NO because NO says I am too busy for you, or you are not important enough for me to make time. NO means I don’t appreciate what you did for me. Or even worse, NO makes people mad at you.
NO has so many negative connotations that we say yes, because it’s just too uncomfortable to use this two letter terror. If you are one of these people, it’s time to start practicing your NOs today. Practice makes perfect.
Instead of the dreaded NO, maybe you can say something like: “My schedule doesn’t permit that right now”, or “I would love to, but I can’t due to a prior commitment”, or even, “thank you for thinking of me for this, but let me recommend someone who is better suited to help you.”
By saying NO, it also allows you to better manage you yes. You have more time and space to deliver on the big things. It allows you to focus and be more effective with you your follow up and follow through.
By saying yes and not following through, you end up disappointing others, and creating a reputation of being some who lacks integrity. Your word has no weight. Credibility is everything in this credit driven economy. The best to way to build your credit is by keeping your word. The best way to keep your word, is not to give it away so much. Just say NO!