How many times have you said “Yes” when you so badly wanted to say “No”?! I admire the self-disciplined humans who have mastered this. I’m not one of them, but I’m aspiring to be a nay-sayer.

If it’s not a “hell yes” it’s a “no”. I adopted this mantra in 2018 and it has been amazing for me. It’s allowed me to be honest about what I really want to spend my time on. So many times have I said yes to an offer or invite, only to regret it later (if not immediately). I’m not someone who says “no” often so this has been a struggle. But it’s worth it! I used to have major FOMO, but now I’m embracing JOMO (Joy Of Missing Out).

There is just too much shit going on! Is the world around us increasingly more chaotic and noisy or is that just how it feels as you grow older? Whatever it is, there’s just too much to take in, to consider, to decide, to do.

The best way to sift through all the requests being made of you is to trust your instinct. If your first reaction is not “hell yes” (“hell yes, I want to do that”, “hell yes, I want to go there”, etc.) then endure that very brief uncomfortable moment of saying “no” in order to save yourself a lot of energy later.

I bet you’re currently committed to something that you really don’t want to do. Well don’t forget that you can also say “no” after you’ve already said “yes”. It’s a bit more tricky to navigate and not always possible, but be true to yourself and your own needs and see if you can back out of it.

Want to experience more JOMO? You just need to practice, practice, practice. The more you say “no” the more natural it will become. Be nice about it of course! People will understand…and if not, they will get over it…and if not, then you should consider getting new people.

And the next time someone says “no” to you, remember that they are just looking out for themselves.

-T