Does this sound familiar?

The daily pattern for this school year has been established. We feel comfortable with the commitments we’ve made to various projects and people. Our expectations are a pretty sure bet – we know who’s going to do what, and on what schedule.

We’re feeling good about what we have going on in our lives.

And then – BAM! – we find ourselves overcommitted, overexposed, overdrawn, and just plain over it all.

We forgot how to say “No.”

• No, I can’t bake an extra 12 dozen cupcakes for the school carnival.
• No, I can’t write another report by Friday.
• No, I can’t repaint the living room this weekend.
• No, I can’t chair that committee.
• No, I can’t watch your kids every Saturday.

Self-care includes being able to say “No” to other people so you can say “Yes” to yourself.

• Yes, I have time for a relaxing bath tonight.
• Yes, I can finish all the work I have scheduled for this week.
• Yes, I will make a healthy meal for myself and my family.
• Yes, I have time for exercise each day.
• Yes, I can plan a day of fun with my kids.

This month pay attention to the requests you get for your time. And then be selective about saying “Yes.”

It’s perfectly okay to say “No.”

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 10:54 am and is filed under Food for Thought, Gusto and attitude. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.