Today is a beautiful day!

I've come with a fantastic gift. It's a gift for you. A gift for your friends. A gift for your family. Aren't I generous?

What is this mysterious gift?

Well, it's the word NO

You see, when we are kids, we are taught to be nice. We are taught to endure friendships we do not like. We are taught all sorts of things that ensure that we avoid conflict as much as humanely possible. As a result we end up saying YES to a ton of things we do not like at all.

It doesn't end here!

After saying those words - YES, you start a chain reaction. If it was an invite to a party, then the friend will start planning for it, and who knows? Maybe your friend will decide to assign a key role to you. A key role that will throw their plans in ruin when you eventually ghost them or come up with a terrible excuse at the last possible minute.

If it was an invitation to a job interview, then HR will sideline other well-deserving candidates. Then, since you never wanted to work for the job, you won't show up. HR will then have to reschedule the interview, then call a backup candidate and ask them to come on short notice. Do you know how much of an inconvenience this is?

Its not rude to say NO. Just say it in a polite way. Clearly indicate that you are absolutely uninterested in any way shape or form. Then put it across in a polite manner. How? I've got another gift for you! Today is your lucky day.

Gift #2 - This is a book. A good book. It is the lovely book I use when I have tough messages to type. It's called "How to Say It" by Rosalie Maggio. I would highly suggest that you download it and use it when you feel like using the magical words but don't know the right words to use.

Remember, the word NO is in the dictionary. It is meant to be used.

Enjoyed the Blogpost? I knew you would! Be a good person and share this blogpost with your friends : ). You can also follow me on twitter @maputiatota

Didn’t enjoy it? Perhaps this wasn’t a good fit. Try going through these and see if there’s any you’ll fancy.

See you next week Wednesday!