Ripples #1172: Know No
Nov 8, 2021
PEBBLE
You have to be ready to say no often if you are truly committed to your growth.
–Yung Pueblo, shared by Steve in Concord, NH
BOULDER
Saying no saves you time in the future.
Saying yes costs you time in the future.
No is like a time credit.
You can spend that block of time in the future.
Yes is like a time debt.
You have to repay that commitment at some point.
No is a decision.
Yes is a responsibility.
–James Clear, shared by Kathleen in Orlando, FL
PONDER
There’s a meme popping up all over social media feeds that says, “This month, I’m doing a challenge called November. It’s where I try to make it through every day of November.” The struggle is real, no? (The struggle is real: yes.)
Then I saw a post in our Team Ripples Facebook group that suggests NO-vember is a good month to “say NO to the things, people and places that steal your joy.”
This has been a long, hard year (it’s actually been a long, hard decade, eh?). More people are more tired than they’ve been in a while, and many of us are running on fumes. Saying NO is a form of self-preservation.
I like to remind myself frequently that every NO helps preserve resources and therefore improves a future YES. The fabulous Mary Anne em Radmacher comes at it from a different angle when she says that every NO can become someone else’s YES. This means that saying YES when you want/need to say NO is actually a crime…you’re stealing someone else’s chance to shine!
So in addition to whatever else November is for you, let it also be a reminder for you to know NO. Ya’ know?
Peace,
Paul
