When we decline a request, we do not have to go into a long explanation. Just say, "No." Be direct, be polite and don't apologize. It is OK to say "No" and it is all right not to have a reason. You do not have to have an excuse, alibi or anything else. It is ok just to say no and leave it at that.

Just say, "No" so that you can say, "Yes" to things you really want to do. For every "Yes" you say, you are saying "No" to something else. When you say, "Yes" to something you don't want to do, you actually say, "No" to what you do want to do. Remember, this is your life. Do you want to spend it doing things you don't want to do or by doing what brings you joy, happiness and contributes to your overall satisfaction?

Practice saying, "No" today. See how it feels not to commit to things you do not want to do and leave space for things you do want in your life.

MEASURABLE: We need to know we are getting someplace. All too often we feel as if we are stuck just because we haven't gotten where we wanted to go yet. We don't always see how far we have come, we just see long road ahead. By having our goal set up in such a way that we can see steps we can take, will help provide momentum needed to keep going.

WORKABLE: Each step along way is part of our plan to get there. The plan should be written out so we can see what we will need to do next. Plus, it gives us something to mark off along way. Like a shopping or to-do list, plan gives us a basic guide for what needs to be done. It's up to us how to work it.

FLEXIBLE: Our plans should provide room for changes along way. We have learned so much from Murphy's law that whatever can go wrong, will at some point. We need to be able to just go around problems we face. It may mean adjusting our goal a bit or re-working our plans. But as long as we have room to change, we won't get stuck.

I hope something in this article inspired you to begin looking at your own goals. Well, at least that was MY goal.

© 2002 David Stoddar