- Bishop John C. Parks
When To Say NO.
Knowing when to say no is very diificult in managing and maintaining relationships. All of us can reflect on times where we have said "yes" but regretted it. However, learning this skill can help keep you safe, build and maintain strong and healthy relationships, and help to identify the best opportunities that come your way while ignoring things that are a waste of your time and talents. The challenge for many people is having a clear understanding of their boundaries. These boundaries help us to identify opportunities that are too good to be true. More importantly, these boundaries are firm regardless how great the opportunity, how great the person, or how great the thing.
When determing how to make the decison of yes or no, you should consider the following:
-Remember that your health and well-being and that of your family and closest friends is ultimately the number one priority and should always come first
-.Take the time you need to make the right decision. If you are not sure about whether saying yes is a good idea, honestly tell the person asking that you are not sure. Then take some time – even a few days – to reflect, research, and seek advice from a trusted advisor.
-Principles always outweigh pressure. Don't allow the persistence of someone to make you buckle under their urgency. Ask yourslef the question of what would they do if you didn't exist - Most of the time you will conclude they would handle the problem.
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There is no "silver bullet" answer to managing your emotions or not jumping to quick to say yes. However, the three suggestions above will minimize the chances of making bad decisions, enduring uneccessary pain & hurt, or wasting value time. Ultimately, the best way to learn how to say no is to practice!