(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
loading...

Why do we humans have such a hard time with a simple two-letter word like “no?” In most cases, saying no, is going to hurt someone in some way. Resisting the urge to say no has led me down the road of wrong decisions more times than I can count.

“Why did I go along with that stupid idea?” “I could have just said “No,” — why didn’t I?” Here are a few examples where it’s really OK to say NO.

Say NO To Peer Pressure

Guess what? You’re not in high school anymore. There’s no cafeteria table where the cool kids sit. You don’t have to be a follower any longer. It’s really OK to think for yourself and express your feelings. You don’t have to conform to any cookie cutter thinking just because your friends do. Just agree to disagree.

Say NO To Personal Attacks

If someone calls you aside to talk negatively about another person how does that make you feel? It makes me feel that this same person would be saying the same things about me if I weren’t the one standing there. Perpetuating the negative simply emboldens the person spreading the negative. Don’t fall into that trap.

Say NO To Jealousy

Too many people mistake jealousy for love. It’s not love. It’s a demonstration of the feelings of inadequacy felt by the jealous person. “Your attention to someone else threatens me because I am lacking self confidence.” Not everyone in your life is going to be a fan. Learn to live with it.

Say NO To Your Own Negative Talk

A vivid imagination can be a dangerous thing. I know I’m going to have to do something unpleasant on Monday morning. I start going over all the possible scenarios in my mind. Guns, knives, bombs, bamboo shoots under the fingernails. Virtually nothing I went over in my mind ever happened in these situations. And I’m guessing you’ve had the same experience. Try to put these “role plays” in the back of your mind and deal with whatever happens in the real world. It’s not easy but you really need to train your mind to be strong in negative situations.

Say NO To Bad Luck

I have played the “Powerball Lottery” for years and I’ve never won the big prize. Am I just unlucky? Not really, unless you want to lump me in with all the millions of others who haven’t won it either. There’s an old saying, “The harder I work the luckier I get.” I think that’s very true. Most of us make our own luck without even being aware of it. Positive thoughts bring positive results and negative thoughts bring negative results. Luck is a state of mind.

Some Final Thoughts

No is an OK word. Saying no will make you stronger. Not in some mean overbearing way but in a “taking charge of your daily life” sort of way. When you are asked to do something that makes you uncomfortable, fearful, or out of place, why would you even consider saying, “Why Yes, I’m down with that.”

The easy answer, no matter what the consequences are would be, “Why NO, I’m not down with that.” Did you say NO today?

More From KMMS-KPRK 1450 AM