Just say “no”

Recently, I ran into a friend from over twenty years ago.

As we were catching up on life, she was curious what my work entailed.

One of the things I shared about coaching is that I help people identify areas in their life where they need to have better boundaries.

It’s actually surprising how frequently this comes up in professional settings.

Then she reminded me of a story I had completely forgotten.

Apparently she struggled with having good boundaries when she was younger, and she was asking for my advice about this.

Again, I could barely even remember that this happened.

She told me that I taught her how to say “no” when she received a request or invitation that she didn’t want to commit to.

And as we’re having this conversation in the car, as if the universe were trying to reinforce this lesson, my phone rings, and I answer.

This next part is going to sound unbelievable, but stay with me.

She tells me that during the conversation, I silently tap her on the knee and signal to her to watch what would happen next.

Again, no clue what the person on the other line said to me, but my reply was, “thank you for thinking of me. Unfortunately I won’t be able to do that.”

And I ended the call.

She was completely dumbfounded.

She got to witness me modeling exactly what I was coaching her to do.

Clearly, that story was far more memorable for her than it was for me.

And she told me she has passed along this wisdom to dozens of women friends along the way.

Who knew that such a simple concept could totally transform not only one life, but apparently dozens of others.

Photo by Ирина Серегина on pexels

Maybe you need to hear this.

Perhaps you are having inner turmoil because you are trying to not let others down, but in the process, you make commitments that you aren’t fully invested in.

If you would like to have a life-changing conversation, reach out.

I’m happy to give you permission to say “no.”

Love,

Audrey