For some of us, the struggle is real! Saying NO. We want to please people, we don’t want to disappoint, we want to make others feel good. So, we take on too much, we let others get away with bad behavior, and we allow ourselves to feel bad about ourselves if we say “no”.

Saying “no” is essential to our health and the health and wellbeing of those around us. We need to be able to say “no” in the moment of the request and in the moment of the situation…..without guilt….without shame….and with grace!

So today, I encourage you to give yourself permission to say “no”. Say “no” to anything that is not essential…because, saying “yes” will only derail you from that which you are called to do and that which is essential. Say “no” to that person who wants you to lower the bar to make them feel good….because, saying “yes” will only allow them to believe that they have accomplished or achieved something. Say “no” to those that behave badly…. because saying “yes” or saying nothing sends a message that you condone it.

And there is more.. Say “no” to the distractions that take you away from your focus. Say “no” to the intrusions. Say “no” to the beep of the notifications. Say “no” to the obligation that doesn’t serve a purpose….because you have been uniquely created for a specific purpose. You have been given a call on your life and it is up to you to accomplish it.

This day, I encourage you to pare down your obligations to those that are essential to the calling on your life. And to everything else that intrudes and everyone else who asks, it’s not an “OK”, it’s not an “I guess so”, it’s not a maybe, it’s not an “I don’t know”. Sometimes, it’s a “No”…..and it’s OK