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Aug 15 2016

3 Reasons We Have to Learn to Say No

sandra

I’ll admit that there was a time when saying no was a problem for me. As a chronic people pleaser, I was always saying yes to things I should have been saying no to. It led to overwhelm, frustration and often times, resentment. This is why I feel pretty confident in sharing these three reasons why we have to learn to say no.

  1. You risk becoming a bitter b-tch

When we don’t have boundaries, there are always going to be people who take advantage of the situation. If you don’t want to feel like you’re constantly being treated like a doormat, you’re going to have to put on your big girl panties and start saying no. Sure it will feel uncomfortable at first, but if you don’t learn how to say no soon, you’re going to end up bitter and resentful. When it gets to this point you run the risk of saying no to things you should actually be saying yes to.

  1. There’s always someone else who will say yes

Many times we choose to say yes because we worry that if we don’t the person asking will be left stranded. Whether we want to admit it or not, we’re playing the martyr in a situation like this. We feel like we have to sacrifice our time and do what’s asked of us because if we don’t the world will come to a complete standstill. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but as wonderfully special as you are, you cannot possibly be the only go-to person for every favour request. Believe me when I say that even if you say no, it will get done – eventually 🙂

  1. You’ve got your own empire to build!

I’m sure you have your own list of things to accomplish, goals you want to achieve, dreams you want to make a reality. If you spend all your time taking care of everyone else’s needs, when do you find the time to get the things that are important to you done? You’ve got to find a way to balance it all. If you haven’t reviewed your priorities lately, then there’s no time like the present! If we don’t identify what’s important to us, then we don’t know where we should be focusing our time and energy. When we lack focus, it’s so much easier to get pulled in many different directions, none of them serving our needs in any way.

It’s okay to say no sometimes. Know that NO can actually be a full and complete sentence. You don’t have to give an explanation or justify it. If you feel you need to, go ahead. I’ll give you this warning though – no matter what the explanation is; there will be those that don’t want to hear it. Especially those who are used to you saying yes all the time. Some will even consider this change in behaviour a bit selfish. The good news is that most will respect you for it in the long run and your relationships will benefit as well. Like TD Jakes says, “greatness is contagious”. You might as well focus on your greatness so that you can lift those around you to the same level. If you don’t have the time to focus on you, how will you ever become the rising tide that lifts all boats?

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution. She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!

Connect:

www.embraceyourdestiny.ca

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook

www.twitter.com/sandradawes

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Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Sandra Dawes · Tagged: boundaries, build your empire, Business Woman, Canadian Small Business Women, Dreams, entrepreneur, no, people pleaser, Sandra Dawes, Say No, say yes, TD Jakes

Jul 15 2016

3 Ways Establishing Priorities Makes Life Easier

sandra

We all have moments when everything seems like it needs to be done right away. ASAP seems to be the deadline for everything these days. In order to avoid overwhelm and frustration, it’s important to establish priorities in all areas of our lives, and here’s why:

  1. Priorities help us create boundaries

When you have identified what’s important to you, it makes it easier to say yes to the right opportunities and no to others. When we aren’t sure what a priority is for us, it can be easy to get caught up in other people’s priorities. We find ourselves unable to say no to things that we don’t want to do because we aren’t clear on where we want to be focusing our time and energy. If you don’t want to feel like you’re constantly being pulled in every direction, you need to establish your priorities and share them with the people in your life!

  1. It helps us to manage our time

When we know what our priorities are, we know where to focus our time. We aren’t easily distracted by shiny objects, and we don’t wake up in the morning wondering what we should tackle today. Priorities help us focus on our goals, on what’s important to us. Too many of us are busy giving big time to small tasks. When we are clear on our priorities we give our time to things that matter. Consider the goose that laid the golden eggs. What completed tasks will bring you closer to achieving other things on your to-do list? Figuring this out can help you establish priorities that will help get you closer to accomplishing your goals.

  1. Priorities help us maintain momentum

When we know what’s important to us, we give it constant attention. You know what I’m talking about. You’re working on a project and when you look at the time you wonder where the last 5 hours went. When we’re passionate about something we eat, sleep and drink it. Establishing priorities fuels our purpose. It gives us permission to focus on the things that matter to us. You can’t make something a priority without committing to it. Commitment means doing it even when we don’t feel like it. It gives us power to push through even the most difficult challenges.

Without priorities we can feel like we’re spinning our wheel s in mud. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and frustrated by everything there is to do when you have no idea where to start. Taking the time to sit with your tasks and prioritize them will save you a lifetime of future hassle and aggravation. Have you set your priorities for the next 30 days?

If you need help identifying your priorities, check out these free tools designed to help you prioritize your life.

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution. She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!

Connect:

www.embraceyourdestiny.ca

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook

www.twitter.com/sandradawes

Share this:

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  • Facebook
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  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email

Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Sandra Dawes · Tagged: ASAP, boundaries, commitment, Embrace Your Destiny, focus, momentum, Priorities, Sandra Dawes, Time Management

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