We are taught from a young age that a lot of our value has to do with how much we help others. And while it is important to be a kind and helpful person, it is also okay to say no from time to time. In today’s episode, host May Yeo Silvers teaches listeners how they can say no without feeling the backlash of guilt.
As entrepreneurs, our time and resources are already very limited. And while we understand the value of help, it doesn’t always make sense for us to overextend ourselves to others. Before you agree to do something for someone else, May suggests walking yourself through a series of questions. That way, you are more intentional about the things you do for yourself and others. First ask yourself whether or not this person has only come to you for help. And if not, then why are other people saying no? Secondly, do you even have the resources and time to offer this help? And by offering your help, are you enabling them to continue to use you for your time and expertise. If you can answer all of these questions easily, you must ask yourself the final and most important question: how is helping going to impact your personal and business lives? If you realize that doing something for someone else is going to cause you hardship or turmoil, then it might be time to say no.
In the end, if we are not in the position to help ourselves, there is no way we can help others and that is why it is okay to say no sometimes. By being more intentional about where we put our time and energy, we not only open opportunities to create an abundant life for ourselves, but others too.
Quotes
• “My ultimate goal is to understand when I say yes to something, I am at peace. And when I say no to something, I am also at peace.” (02:18-02:34 | May)
• “When someone comes to me for help, before I readily say yes or no, I ask myself a few questions. So that when I come to the final decision, regardless whether it’s a yes or a no, I have gone through an intentional process to come to that conclusion.” (02:58-03:21 | May)
• “The reason why we have a hard time saying no is because we want people to love us and not label us as being selfish.” (05:12-05:20 | May)
• “When you’re running a full cup, you can give a lot more. But if you are not able to even sustain yourself emotionally or financially, how can you sustain another person?” (08:58-09:14 | May)
Links
Connect with me at: [email protected]
Website: events4anyone.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers
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