I often hear people say:
“I didn’t want to do this but I just couldn’t say no”
Well, it all boils down to what is most important to you.
When you have your priorities straight,
it becomes a lot easier to say ‘no’ to things you don’t really want to do.
Once you know
what kind of person you want to be,
how you want to live your life,
what is most important to you,
then you automatically say ‘yes’ to things you care about,
and ‘no’ to less important stuff.
Then I hear:
“Yes, but I don’t want to seem rude or not caring”
Well, that is all a matter of perspective.
What do you care most about?
You can do anything in life but you can’t do everything.
You have to make choices.
Suppose you only have 6 months left to live:
Would that make your choices easier?
Would you still do all the stuff you can’t say ‘no’ to today?
Would you still say ‘yes’ to everything to please other people?
Or would you start listening to what your heart says ‘yes’ to?
You can never please all,
you can never do all,
you can never be everywhere.
You know, as Courtney Carver says:
“The only people complaining when you set your boundaries, are the people who do not respect you having any boundaries.”
Remember that.
If you keep giving, giving and giving,
you’ll get depleted and you’ll be no help to anyone anymore,
not even to the people you love.
Do things that give you energy,
meet people you love,
take time to be silent,
take time to know and set your priorities,
take time to breathe and enjoy life,
and you’ll be so much happier, so much more fun to be with.
My invitation to you this week is:
Go for a walk into nature,
listen to the silence,
listen to the sounds of the birds,
listen to the trees moving in the wind,
listen to the ocean.
Reconnect with nature.
Reflect on where you are in your life.
What are your goals?
What are your dreams?
How do you want your loved ones to remember you?
How do you want to spend the rest of your life?
Make a list,
write down what is most important to you.
Then look at what you are doing in your life right now.
Don’t judge,
just observe.
You can never change the past,
you can only do the best you can right now.
Notice where you can make adjustments in order to live more from your heart,
more from your priorities.
Make a list of what you want to start doing.
Make a list of things you want to stop doing.
Then start small.
Start doing something that you’ve always dreamt of doing,
even if it’s only by starting to read about the subject.
But start, take it into your hands and commit to it.
Also,
Stop doing something you’ve always done,
something you only do because other people ask you to,
something that does not bring you any closer to your dreams, to your goals.
Yes, it may feel awkward in the beginning,
but remember,
only people who do not respect you having any boundaries, will object.
Once you’ve let it go, you’ll feel so relieved,
so much lighter!
You’ll feel liberated.
You’ll feel as if you finally have the permission to live as YOU.
Read this book and you’ll realize your life is now!
It’s time to make those lists!
Be very honest, that’ll make it easier to create that image of your ‘ideal’ life.
Once everything is clear in your head,
it will become a lot easier to say no.
Stick to your dreams,
Don’t waver when somebody asks you to do something.
Know why you’re doing this.
Remember all the times you felt bad when you said yes when you did not want to.
Remember all the things you did not do because you were doing things somebody else wanted you to do.
Know why you want to learn to say no.
Make that image of how you want your life to look like really clear,
and decisions will become:
Hell yeah!
Or
No thank you!
Good luck and enjoy living as YOU!!
Katrien
www.lifecoachwomen.be