5 Risks You Take When You Say No Often
Things You Can Avoid If You Consider an Alternative Approach
When you say no often, there are benefits and downsides you need to consider before you make your decision.
You have to respond to requests daily and if you don’t know what to say yes or no to, you can put more pressure on yourself.
There are times when saying yes to something is better than saying no. There are also times when saying no will benefit you. The key is knowing when to say yes and when to say no.
1-Minute Summary Video
When is Saying No Valuable?
Successful people do not have a struggle with saying no. Some even consider saying no a complete sentence.
Saying no is valuable on occasions such as when:
- You know you cannot commit to a request made to you.
- You don’t have the time to do something new.
- You want to avoid something.
- You want to protect yourself and not be taken advantage of by being a people pleaser.
- You don’t want the extra stress if you say yes.
- You want to manage your energy better.
- You know if you say yes, it will take time and energy away from what you’ve already committed to.
- You want to focus on what matters most to you.
What You Will Gain When You Say No Often
When you’re comfortable saying no often, what you will gain include:
- Less stress.
- Peace of mind and fewer worries.
- Time to focus on what you need to get done.
- A better mood.
- Better relationships.
- Progress faster towards the outcomes you want.
- Better psychological health and well-being.
While saying no has its advantages, you also need to know the risks you take when you say no every single time.
What if saying no often isn’t always the best thing?
An Alternate Perspective: Why Saying No Often Isn’t Valuable
Saying no isn’t valuable if:
- You deny yourself the chance to learn something new.
- You reject personal or business opportunities without evaluating them first.
- You choose not to help someone when you know you can.
- You’re only focusing on your needs of pleasing people.
- You don’t want to get out of your comfort zone.
5 Things That Can Happen When You Say No Often
Here are five risks you take when you say no often, which you can avoid if consider an alternative approach and see things from other perspectives.
1. You may miss out on opportunities
When you say no often, you may miss the opportunity to meet people who could help you reach your goals in life.
You could also miss out on receiving ideas or experiencing new things, which can improve the quality of your life.
2. You could take longer to accomplish what you want to
You may deny receiving help when you say no often, especially if others know that’s become a habit of yours.
If you have to do everything yourself, you’re more likely to waste time through procrastination or letting yourself get distracted. This means it will take you longer to reach your goals.
3. You may hurt your relationships
When others invite you to events because they want to spend time with you and you continually say no, you may alienate yourself from them.
This can affect your relationships, which means you won’t connect as deeply with others. If you affect your relationships, you can also hurt your chances of achieving more success in life.
4. You may not feel good about yourself, especially if you know you’re hiding
If you say no often because you have low self-confidence and self-esteem, you won’t feel good about yourself.
When you say no to avoid things because of your fears and limitations, you will not challenge yourself, which means you will not grow as a person.
5. You may lose trust with others
When saying no becomes a pattern of yourself, others will not trust you. If you cant’ be relied on to provide support, people will eventually not ask you because they may assume you’re going to say no anyway.
You could end up having a reputation of being a selfish person.
Why Saying Yes for the Right Reasons Is Important
If saying no often can hurt you, it’s valuable to know why saying yes is important.
These include:
- You will have better experiences for the vast majority.
- You will build and nurture relationships.
- You will achieve more goals.
- You have be more successful.
- You will become a more productive person.
- You will look beyond your needs or focus only on what’s important to you.
- You will give back and create value for others without seeing it as a waste of time.
Final Thoughts
Always saying yes or always saying no will not serve you. All things are not equal, which means each situation needs to be evaluated on its merits.
Once you know the risks you take when you say no often, you can make smarter decisions that will benefit you and those involved.
Action Step: Next time you need to decide whether to say yes or no to a request, give yourself some extra time to consider what could happen if you say no and what you could gain if you say yes.
Question: What are other risks you take when you say no often?
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