The Art of Saying No
Many of us believe that we must be as accepting as possible. However, if we don't reject anything, then we stand for nothing. There's a level of joy and meaning that you find only when you've invested in a single thing, and in order to do that, you must reject the alternatives.
To choose one value means you must reject the other values. Therefore, rejection is a necessary part of maintaining values and therefore our identity. Rejection is crucial to life.
Boundaries are an important aspect of any relationship. People with healthy boundaries take responsibility for their own values and problems and do not take responsibility for other people's values and problems.
For a relationship to be healthy, both people must be willing and able to hear no and say no.
More is not better. Often, we are happier with less. If we are given many options, we are less satisfied with whatever we choose because we are aware of the other options we are forfeiting. There is freedom and liberation in commitment. Saying no to things hones your attention and focus on the things that matter. It helps you know that what you already have is good enough.
Saying no is liberating. We must say no to things that don't align with our values and our chosen metrics so we can say yes to the things that actually matter.
In the end, we all die. In this way, nothing really actually matters. Which means we have no reason to waste our time caring about things that don't make us happy. If there really is no reason to do anything, then there is also no reason to not do anything. To spend your life avoiding what is painful and uncomfortable means to avoid being alive at all.
Confronting our own mortality is important because it obliterates any fragile, superficial values in life.
Our culture tells us that we need to accomplish something great in order to b e great. But the reality is that you already are great. Whether you realize it or not. Whether anybody else realizes it or not. You are great because you get to choose what to care about and what not to.
The Art of Saying No
Many of us believe that we must be as accepting as possible. However, if we don't reject anything, then we stand for nothing. There's a level of joy and meaning that you find only when you've invested in a single thing, and in order to do that, you must reject the alternatives.
To choose one value means you must reject the other values. Therefore, rejection is a necessary part of maintaining values and therefore our identity. Rejection is crucial to life.
Boundaries are an important aspect of any relationship. People with healthy boundaries take responsibility for their own values and problems and do not take responsibility for other people's values and problems.
For a relationship to be healthy, both people must be willing and able to hear no and say no.
More is not better. Often, we are happier with less. If we are given many options, we are less satisfied with whatever we choose because we are aware of the other options we are forfeiting. There is freedom and liberation in commitment. Saying no to things hones your attention and focus on the things that matter. It helps you know that what you already have is good enough.
Saying no is liberating. We must say no to things that don't align with our values and our chosen metrics so we can say yes to the things that actually matter.
In the end, we all die. In this way, nothing really actually matters. Which means we have no reason to waste our time caring about things that don't make us happy. If there really is no reason to do anything, then there is also no reason to not do anything. To spend your life avoiding what is painful and uncomfortable means to avoid being alive at all.
Confronting our own mortality is important because it obliterates any fragile, superficial values in life.
Our culture tells us that we need to accomplish something great in order to b e great. But the reality is that you already are great. Whether you realize it or not. Whether anybody else realizes it or not. You are great because you get to choose what to care about and what not to.
#TheArtofSayingNo