Just Say NO

Years ago, I attended a conference that featured Brene Brown as the keynote speaker. If you’re not familiar with Brene Brown, just Google her name. In short, she is a gifted researcher, professor, author, and all-around bada$$ Social Worker.

During Brene’s presentation, she encouraged the audience to “Choose a moment of discomfort over hours of resentment.” The premise being, our typical knee-jerk reaction to any request (PTA refreshments, fieldtrip chaperone, dunking booth volunteer, etc.) is to say Yes when we really want to say No.

Why is saying No so hard? It is, after all, a complete sentence. Acceptable options may also be, ‘Not this time, but please ask again’ or maybe, ‘I don’t have time to bake cookies, are Oreos okay?’ I don’t know if it’s guilt, a desire to please, insanity, or all of the above, but women seem to have a really hard time saying No. That nonsense needs to stop.

I’ve shared Brene’s pearls of wisdom with many women. Each time, the response is as if they just struck gold. There’s usually a little giggle followed by a mischievous grin, and a “Gosh, I would love to be able to do that.” What’s stopping you?