There is a good possibility that I am not busier than anyone else this time of year. It's the extra added things I have said "Yes" to that have made the past month CRAZY! It is completely possible I am addicted to saying "Yes, sure, I will do that, happy to help." I may in fact be a serial volunteer.
People volunteer for all sorts of reasons: To give something back to their community, To help others, For Personal Growth, For new and unique experiences, or because when asked they simply cannot say NO. That's me.
19th Century American Humorist Henry Wheeler Shaw, who wrote under the pen name Josh Billings,
once said,
"Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough."
The saying yes thing is the pressure I put on myself. The need to please people maybe, or the desire to not be judged if I simply say, "No". Is it really okay to say no, even if a part of you is going to feel guilty for not helping out? The answer is YES!
I am realizing that just maybe there is truth in the following:
- It's okay to say NO if you would rather relax than go out.
- It's okay to say NO if helping someone else out means you will sacrifice your own needs.
- It's okay to say NO because you don't have the time, even if you don't know right at this moment that whether you will or will not be available in the future.
- It's okay to say NO even if you do not have a detailed excuse. Even if you think you should give one.
- It's even okay to say NO after you have said yes. Especially if you realize you were not being true to yourself.
So starting today I will be practicing the fine art of saying, "NO". Right after I finish helping out with the tea at my daughter's school, give out all the swim team clothing, buy the snacks for next week's meet, and feed my vacationing neighbor's cat.
Fa la la la la,
Magda
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