The Word No One Really Likes Using:- Learning How To Say No

After an immensely eventful and enjoyable day with friends at Babylon Park in Camden, we decided to get food for the last time in the market and then head home. It was not new to see people market their food and give you bites to taste, but a particular marketer stood out to me.

This person was marketing!! They kept trying to convince me to buy food from them and was willing to reduce the price by £2 if I got food. At various attempts to leave, they would try harder, and I was very impressed, almost to the point that I wanted to buy the food, but then I snapped back into reality and reminded myself that I could not afford it. So, for the last time, I said NO, and quite displeased, they said firmly, "Go." And I laughed.

It meant nothing to me until I returned home and reflected on my day. Then I thought for the first time that I was actually stressed out there. Why was saying "No" extremely difficult? Do I really know how to say No in a less painful way?

As an adult, I have learned that one of the hardest things to do on earth is to say NO. There are many reasons why this happens. Some, for me, is the fear of letting people down or making someone sad because of my decision. Sometimes it is due to the need to be liked and approved by them.

So, I say Yes, even though the answer should have been NO.

Some of the questions I have then asked myself are: -

· Am I going to be liked by everyone?

· Is it possible that I don't let anyone down for the rest of my life?

· Can I make everyone around me happy?

I think anyone can safely say the answer to those questions is NO. Exactly, NO! The truth is sometimes, even my existence is already letting people down. For example, someone might say, "Why does Fortunate have such a big head?" Well, that I cannot change! (My head is not massive, by the way, in case you thought so)

One last thing I have discovered is that when you say NO, you give other people the liberty to say NO too. In this way, we build healthy relationships.