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Do You Know How To Say No?

Working out today with some of my favorite mamas, I was talking to a mom about saying no. It came up because she was going to run an errand at a local store but was hesitant because she didn't want them to sell her other stuff. She feels like it's too hard to say no, so she finds herself listening to a spiel that she's not interested in just to be nice and dreads this store.

This got me to thinking - why is it so hard to say no? As toddlers, we say it loud, well and often. In fact, toddlers say no hundreds of times a day. You read that right. Hundreds. Of. Times. A. Day. Moms of toddlers - I know you're not surprised😉 Then we get older, we become afraid to say no, and we dodge questions that will elicit that response.

So I'm going to challenge all of you to start saying no with tact and grace and teach your kids to do the same. Because the larger issue is that we don't know how to say no, and it's not something we're taught nor do we teach it. It's such a great skill and can make a HUGE difference in your life.

Here's what saying no looks like.

1. Thank the person.

2. Compliment the person for what they're doing.

3. Say no.

It's truly that easy. Here's a real life example. Someone messages you on social media asking if you're interested in hearing more about what they are doing or trying something. You're not, so instead of ignoring them or telling them to bugger off, you respond by saying, "Thank you so much for reaching out! Although I'm not personally interested, I admire you for working hard toward your goals. Thank you again! I wish you the best!"

If you're not interested, how you respond reflects on you, not on the person reaching out. Who do you want that to be? The person that responds with grace and lifts someone up or the person that made someone feel completely horrible that day? Totally up to you. Hopefully you choose the former because we all could use some more lifting up.
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