Say Yes to You! (and how to say the word No)

No :)  Why such chaos over such a tiny word?  I can’t speak for you, but in my experience…. I think it’s because I love helping people, I want to do everything, be everywhere and not let people down.  Then it dawned on me, by saying yes to everyone else – I was in a way creating a life where I was saying no to another very important person, myself!

This became apparent last winter, when I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue, I had no choice but to slim down my schedule to the minimum.  The only way I could make that happen was to begin to use the word, No.   I’m still no expert!  And it can be an ongoing struggle.  But here’s some things I’ve figured out that have helped me along the way.



Reminder to Self #1:
You don’t have to explain yourself to people
A simple phrase will suffice -“I’d love to but I can’t make it” or “I wish I were available to help, but my schedule is packed that day.”  I always remember the Henry Ford quote, “Never complain, Never Explain”  I consistently have to remind myself that I don’t need to share the gory details.  Few people really wanted to hear me explain Adrenal Fatigue anyway – ha!ha! It’s easier to just politely decline.

Reminder to Self #2:   
What are your priorities?
Figure out what your priorities are and ask yourself truly does this task/activity genuinely contribute?   Between teaching &  the Beautiful project, things have gotten nuts lately; not to mention I’m still healing from the adrenal fatigue.  I know for the next few months my priority is this music launch.   When I remind myself that I need to keep my focus there, it helps me to say No to other things.  Which brings me to…..

Reminder to Self #3:
When you say No to other things, You are saying YES to you!
When you decline an invite because you are staying home to focus on your higher goals like.... writing a song, getting a good night's sleep, working on a project, or ....‘fill in the blank'....  you are saying Yes to your dreams and to Yourself.  Don’t forget you are a VIP!


Reminder to Self #4
Self Care is important!
When this adrenal fatigue hit, jolly little me became a cranky little kid!!I Now know when I start to get edgy, that’s a sign I’ve been overdoing it and need to pull back.  When we don’t take the time to keep our tank full, it can affect our work, our mood and our health.  Also, when we don’t feel whole, it’s nearly impossible to be our best self for those we love.  We actually do a service, for ourselves and those around us by taking the time to take care of ourselves.
Unfortunately sometimes we have to say No to take the downtime we need.


As I mentioned before, I’m a newbie in this department….Any tips from you?
I’d love to hear ‘em
Meantime, May your days be filled with balance, joy, peace, and abundance
Love,