The Art Of Saying no: How To Stand Your Ground, Reclaim Your Time And Energy, And Refuse To Be Taken For Granted

HOW TO SAY NO TO YOURSELF
A
t any given time, we’re subject to temptations that
threaten to consume our time, money, labor, and other
resources. Such temptations usually distract us from our
goals. Being able to resist them - essentially, saying no to
ourselves - is key to living a healthy, rewarding life.
For example, let’s say you’re trying to shed a few
pounds. You’ve decided to stay away from junk food to help
you accomplish that goal. Unaware that you’ve forbidden
yourself to eat junk food, a coworker brings donuts to the
office.
You have two choices:
1. say no to yourself and remain committed to your goal
2. give in to temptation and chow down
Or suppose you have a long list of chores to do that’s
likely to take the majority of the day. You need to vacuum
and dust the house, wash several loads of laundry, and
clean the kitchen and bathrooms. But out of the blue, a
friend calls and invites you to spend the day lounging at his
or her house.
Once again, your choices are clear:

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1. say no to yourself and remain committed to completing
your chores
2. surrender to temptation and abandon your chores
Resisting temptations is crucial to staying focused on,
and committed to, our goals. The question is, how can we
do it effectively? How can we say no to ourselves when we
want to give in and say yes?
Here’s a solution that works for me: make “I don’t”
statements. These statements are a declaration of what you
choose not to do.
For example, when you’re offered a donut, you might
say, “I don’t eat donuts.” If you’re invited to a friend’s
house, and have chores looming, you could say, “I don’t like
leaving chores undone. Can we get together tomorrow?”
Think of the various temptations you might encounter,
and how making an “I don’t” statement can help you to say
no. Here are a few examples: