As somebody whose friends are all very good at saying ‘no’, I need to learn how to not keep taking the rejections so personally. It feels like my life is a constant stream of all these nicely worldly ‘Nos’, and subsequent weekends spent alone 🥲.
Reminds me of my husband’s son who told his sister he couldn’t make his niece’s wedding for several reasons plus he didn’t like her or the way she treated her mother. (He is going to the wedding after much drama - let’s see how it goes.)
The explanation is the tricky part…sounds like maybe he was a little too honest at the expense of being polite, LOL. (Then again, it can sometimes be very satisfying - and necessary - to explain to people exactly why you’re saying it when they won’t take your initial “no” for an answer…) The feeling in our household is that if an event is going to make you miserable because of the people who are going to be there, and those SAME people are going to make you miserable for saying you won’t be there, then you might as well RSVP no so at least you can be in the comfort of your own home (or somewhere else fun) while they’re badgering you from afar. No need to suffer in person!
My current NO is in response to the numerous group costume ideas currently in discussion at work because we simply must all dress as a team for Halloween because team building and fun! After many polite “that would be hilarious; you guys have fun” or “it’s not my thing” responses, I’ve been dubbed Not A Team Player. Years ago this would have horrified me and I would have given in. Now, I accept my new title and go on to prove them wrong by being a team player in all the ways that really matter.
As somebody whose friends are all very good at saying ‘no’, I need to learn how to not keep taking the rejections so personally. It feels like my life is a constant stream of all these nicely worldly ‘Nos’, and subsequent weekends spent alone 🥲.
I talk about this in the book too, actually. I think we all need to be just as good at hearing no as saying it—and it’s not easy!
I actually laughed out loud reading this !! I'm definitely going to be using some of these. Thank you Sarah 😆
This is GENIUS. Saving it and probably also printing it out and sticking it on my wall. Thank you!
Thank YOU for reading! I’ve got a lot more where these came from, so maybe I should do a “How to Say No to [EVERYTHING]” week after week 😂
Yes PLEASE! 😂
OMG!!! These are gold! I'm saving this email in my archives folder!
Use them in good health!
Reminds me of my husband’s son who told his sister he couldn’t make his niece’s wedding for several reasons plus he didn’t like her or the way she treated her mother. (He is going to the wedding after much drama - let’s see how it goes.)
The explanation is the tricky part…sounds like maybe he was a little too honest at the expense of being polite, LOL. (Then again, it can sometimes be very satisfying - and necessary - to explain to people exactly why you’re saying it when they won’t take your initial “no” for an answer…) The feeling in our household is that if an event is going to make you miserable because of the people who are going to be there, and those SAME people are going to make you miserable for saying you won’t be there, then you might as well RSVP no so at least you can be in the comfort of your own home (or somewhere else fun) while they’re badgering you from afar. No need to suffer in person!
My current NO is in response to the numerous group costume ideas currently in discussion at work because we simply must all dress as a team for Halloween because team building and fun! After many polite “that would be hilarious; you guys have fun” or “it’s not my thing” responses, I’ve been dubbed Not A Team Player. Years ago this would have horrified me and I would have given in. Now, I accept my new title and go on to prove them wrong by being a team player in all the ways that really matter.
Strong work 💪🏻 Bravo!!
“So sorry I can’t make it, but I love you! Enjoy the party!” is the perfect response when you can't make it to someone's special event...
And only 13 words! So easy!
Omg yes!!!! Aka no ! Exactly