A Simple ‘NO’ can change your life.

In India, values and traditions form an integral part of our everyday living. We are into this habit of making sure that we don’t hurt the emotions and expectations of other person. To maintain this sanity in this busy and chaos-filled world is an art and many of us have learned to live up to it. Continuing with the same thought, we are also careful that we don’t disagree or say a ‘NO’ straightforwardly to someone. But have you ever thought that this could damage your own life in various invisible ways?

Recently, a person was really sad that he missed taking his wife out for a dinner on couple’s first anniversary, just because his boss asked him to accompany him to a party where he literally had no role to play. This not only ruined the couple’s mood, but also became the worst memory of their life which they could perhaps never mend.

The point is that one should understand the importance of time and occasion and set priorities before taking a decision. A simple ‘NO’ to the boss could have changed the things positively. So here are few points to keep in mind before saying a ‘YES’ at places where you should actually have said a ‘NO’ –

Value your Time – if someone asks for it, reevaluate your time’s importance and say a gentle ‘NO’.

Know your Priorities – While office work may be important at some point, there may be times when family comes first. Decide your priority and take the right decision.

Practice saying a NO – If you are committing to someone just for the sake of it, it’s better to say a NO and spend some meaningful moments the way you want.

Don’t be Apologetic – Don’t be polite enough to apologize for not saying a ‘YES’. You are the person to decide where your time should be spent. 

Be Prepared – If you are put in an awkward situation where saying ‘NO’ turns difficult, simply postpone your answer saying, “I will get back to you on this.” And once you are prepared, get back to them with a simple ‘NO’.