Problem with always saying ‘YES’

Many times we commit to too many things and fail to say no. We say, “Sure, I’ll do it,” or “No problem, I’ll take care of it,” when deep down, we know we don’t really want to, or that we already have too much on our plates.

The problem with always saying yes is two-fold. First, the end result is almost always feeling overwhelmed, stressed and tired. There is simply a point when enough is enough; a point of diminishing return when our attitude, spirit and even our productivity begins to suffer. By saying yes too often, we begin to feel victimized and resentful that we have so much to do. Because we tend to feel guilty when we say no, it’s often difficult to see that we were the ones who got ourselves into this mess by failing to say no more often.

The second major problem with failing to say no when it’s appropriate to do so is that you end up with a slightly insincere attitude. In other words, you are doing things you really don’t want to be doing or shouldn’t be doing – but you are acting, on the surface, as if everything is just fine. For example, you’ll agree to perform a task by saying, “Oh, it’s all right,” when what you really need is a day off to yourself. Then because you don’t get your much-needed rest, you feel victimized or angry that so many people ask favors of you!

Again, you played a key role in the creation of your own stress, but you believe the stress is caused by outside forces, or that it’s inevitable.