I constantly catch myself saying “yes” in order to please someone else. I end up trying to do three things at once stressing myself out about being late and often letting down those that I care most about.  I am working on crafting my “no.”  Successful people have mastered the art of saying, “no.”  Too often we get bogged down and stressed out by committing to five things at once.  I will admit that I have a serious case of FOMO.   I also catch myself telling people what I think they want to hear.  Whether I want to accept an invite or not, I will generally accept out of fear that I will upset the invitor and somehow lose the friendship because I have declined offers to hangout one too many times.  I literally have said “yes” on several occasions out of fear that I will stop getting invites if I do not accept the offer to go watch the game and have a beer.

It’s not that a lot of these invites are not good or healthy, it’s just that some are more meaningful and more in line with our priorities and where we want to be than others. When we over commit, we miss out on some of the things we know are better and healthier for us because we already committed to less valuable activities.

This is why declining offers becomes much easier when we clearly identify what our priorities are.  It becomes easier when we identify the people who make us better, the people who challenge us in a healthy, respectful way.  Of course it is always important to be polite, respectful, and kind to all offerors.  But your time is a precious, finite asset.  It belongs to you.  You get to decide how you spend it.  Be selective with how you spend it and who you spend it with.  Do not beat yourself up for declining an offer.  Time devoted to yourself and events or causes that matter to you ultimately make you better and more valuable to others.

Do not let your time become someone else’s time.  Practice saying “no.”  It’s not bad or wrong, it is respecting yourself and your time – your precious, finite asset.