Tough To Say 'NO', Is It ?

Tough To Say 'NO', Is It ?

Do you have a hard time saying NO?  Don't hesitate. Here's the truth:  Saying NO is indeed hard.  Let's admit it.  There are ways to say NO but either we feel awkward or just afraid to hurt feelings or relationships.  And sometimes, we're avoiding that GUILT feeling.  But the mother of all question is:  Is it really that Tough To Say 'NO', Is It ?

But with that mindset that indeed it is Tough To Say 'NO', what has that brought up in us?  Problems popping up when there should be none in the first place.  Personal pressure from within, for us to resolve an issue that should not be there in the first place.  Averting a financial crisis because you didn't say 'NO' to an earlier ASK is unacceptable.

Not to save face here, I used to face that recurring dilemma wherein indeed it was damn Tough To Say 'NO'.  Out of pity.  Out from the soft spots in our heart.  Out from our inability to withstand the pressure that envelopes around us.  In some local settings, if you turn down and say NO, the local community will looked down upon you.  And from a self-serving mindset, you would get worried 'WHAT IF I NEED HELP' in the future, to whom will I turn to?

Ok, let's go for the proven hacks to overcome that plight of saying NO.  First off, you DON'T have to jump straight and say NO.  How about saying NO much later?  And why not craft this default reply:  LET ME GET BACK TO YOU.  Other proven safe clauses are:  LET ME CHECK MY SCHEDULE AND GET BACK TO YOU.  Or I'LL HAVE TO ASK MY SPOUSE IF WE HAVE ANYTHING GOING ON LATER.  Or  THAT'S A NICE SUGGESTION BUT LET ME THINK FIRST.  Or GREAT, LET ME SEE IF I END UP WORK EARLY SO WE CAN CATCH UP.  Seriously, adopting any of those responses should NOT be that tough, right?

Now sharing this poster though.  These are polite but definitely firm responses.  And more importantly, you will NOT end up in a bind for any of these responses because it shuts off any probability of you yourself giving in and caving in to undue pressure.  And if it is at the workplace, you can ask people to email or send you an SMS [because it is ten times easier saying NO either via SMS or email].  If it's a close friend asking favor, give an acceptable 'counter offer'.  Here's a caveat though.  DON'T and DON'T rely on your 'LATERS' forever.  And just DON'T lie.  Once your 'LATERS; are all used up, saying 'LATER' again can just cause you to seem untrustworthy in the long run.   So, it's NOT that TOUGH TO SAY NO, no sirrrrrs❗❗❗