No with a capital N.

No.

Did you know that word

is a complete sentence?

With a period or an exclamation mark, it’s complete.

It doesn’t require a but or an apology to follow.

It doesn’t require a justification or or an explanation or a ‘I’d love to but I can’t’ before it.

And it’s really too tiny of a word to carry guilt.

It only needs to be said firmly and kindly and with enough self-care behind it that you feel relieved to have had said it.

If you say no to something you know you should say no to, there is a weightlessness that comes as the oooo leaves your mouth.

You know quickly that you made the right choice, don’t you?

So many of us feel guilty for saying no. Why do we do that?

So many of us feel guilty for saying yes. Why do we do that?

Why can’t we just feel good about choosing the right answer for us?

B has taught me that usually, if you have to think about something very long, if your immediate answer doesn’t come, there’s your answer.

Let’s not be afraid to protect our yeses,

to save room for the yes stuff

by not filling ourselves with all the no stuff,

save the best yes for those things we can do with all our heart.

The things we say yes to begrudgingly and without joy are often done halfheartedly without all of us in them.

Do we want to leave a legacy of half-heartedness in the things we do or a legacy of all of us in the things we did with all our heart?

Today, I pray we can feel free to say no when needed,

feel good about it,

and save our treasured yeses for the things that make us smile,

make our heart race,

as soon as the question is asked.

xoxo,

A Recovering Yesaholic

JCG

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