My kids have their own style, especially my teenager Carter. There was a period when he was younger where he wore shorts every day for FOUR years!

He didn’t even own a pair of pants during this time (other than ski pants of course with our cold Canadian winters).

Sometimes, when we would get invited for a family photo shoot for a wedding or other occasion, I would hear “Can you dress your kids better?”

My typical response was “no” because we let our kids make these decisions and choose their own sense of style.

Sure, I would at least encourage them to pick something not stained or ripped, but I wouldn’t force them to dress a certain way to please people.

One time, I received a frustrated text response from a family member saying that this is just an example showing that I don’t care about other people . . .

And only think about myself. Because I wasn’t willing to make the kids dress up for a photo shoot.

Carter happened to see the text and told me . . .

“Mom, you do care about other people – you care about me and what I want.”

Exactly! <insert a sigh of relief>

Ideally, when you say “no” to something or someone it’s so that you can say “yes” to something else that is more important to you.

Whether it’s saying yes to your boundaries, your important work . . . or your family values.

This key perspective shift, along with practical tools and so much more is what I teach in my masterclass called The Confident “No”.

As you become better with learning to say no, there might be frustration from other people.

Because you’re having an effect on what’s important to THEM. So don’t be surprised!

But there is a way that you can communicate a “no” in a way that maintains your relationship and without the guilt.

You see this challenge in your work especially.

You might believe that you have to say “yes” to all the demands and expectations at work to keep everyone happy and perform at a high level.

Even if it means sacrificing your personal time or left feeling overwhelmed and spread thin.

You don’t want to let anyone down, worry about being seen as selfish or not being a team player if you make your own time a priority, or you might not want to deal with conflict.

So you avoid saying “no”.

But as hard as it can be to say “no”, failing to do so can cause you to overcommit, be out of alignment with your values or miss out on something far more important.

So be more intentional on what you say yes and no to . . . and then have the courage to follow through.

Even if someone might not like it ;-).

Want some help to say “no” and without the guilt?

I created a brand new 45-minute masterclass called The Confident “No”.

I will not only teach you how to say no with more confidence and ease . . .

When you sign up you will also receive a tool kit PDF that has 20+ prompts, an email template to personalize and more, as well as an opportunity to attend a live Q&A session with me later on.

Take a bold next step today. Sign up for The Confident “No” Masterclass here!

See you inside!

Stacey Olson, CPPC is a speaker, leadership coach, and author of Your Balanced and Bold Life: Work Less, Live More, and Be Your Best. She helps busy professionals create more balance, stress less, and be their best both at work and at home—even with the constant demands and messy everyday life. Learn more and get the book here.