So several of my clients this week were talking about saying no, and how hard it can be to do that. I can relate! I have a “pleaser gremlin” who doesn’t want me to say no to things. She (this particular gremlin is a she) wants me to say yes, be nice to everyone and have everyone like me. Hello-we know that’s impossible and ain’t gonna happen. It’s time to get over her.
And to be honest with you, through my own personal work with a coach over the years, I have been able to “corral” my gremlins so they’re not running the show as much anymore. (Thank you client Curt who called it corraling the gremlins-love that image!) Sure, one gremlin escapes from the corral at least once a week. But the good news is, I’m much more aware of when that happens and I can do something about it.
The power of saying no is big. It can be hard for us to say no to someone or something for a myriad of reasons. We want to be liked, we want to keep our jobs so we feel we have to say yes to that new project, or we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. But we have to learn to say no to assert our boundaries and frankly, to keep ourselves sane. There’s a newer book out called The Power of a Positive No by William Ury. It looks good-I’d check it out if this is something you struggle with.
If you struggle with saying no at work or managing your career gremlins, I suggest you take action today. Get out your lasso and corral them! Find one thing you can say no to in your life right now. If you need help with this or have other burning career questions – check out my Career Seekers Mastermind Event. That’s what this event is for! Have a fab weekend, Hallie
