The Power to Say No

The Power to Say No

No.

That teeny tiny small word is so hard for me to say. I find saying no to things is me saying that I can’t do them. It seems like defeat, like I can’t handle it. So even when I know I can’t handle it, I’ll always say yes. Why is this? I’m not too sure.yes-1015483_960_720

You know, when you get the email from a teacher asking for volunteers at the last minute. This recently happened to me and I went into panic mode. I already had 2 events on that day and the chance of me even making it in time for the 1pm time slot that was needed was very slim. I kept on trying to go over in my mind HOW I would make this work. I couldn’t say no, could I?

Should I leave early from one event to get to the next? Should I try to divide my time equally to both? How could I even make this work? I have already planned on this event for months and I couldn’t leave early. However, I felt so bad about telling my son’s school no.

I didn’t want to let the school down or the events I had to attend. But, I can’t be in two places at once. What was I to do? I decided to stick with my first commitment and unfortunately had to tell my son’s school I couldn’t volunteer.

With the start of the new year, I’ve decided 2016 will be the year of me saying no to over committing. Oh, and not just saying no, but also not beating myself up about it afterwards. I needed to make this promise to myself to only commit to 5 things 100% and enjoy them rather than commit to 10 things and be miserable and stressed out.

As a mother, I feel the need to please everyone. I never want to say no when it comes to helping my kids, parents, etc. However, I need to be more realistic of what I can do and do well.

Do you find yourself over committing? How do you find the power to say no?

Mary Olivio
Mary is a caffeine addicted boy mom to Noah, Liam and Luke. This “stay at home” mom can typically been found cruising in her minivan, jamming to Beyonce with a Starbucks in hand on her way to carpool or after school activities. Mary has been married to her high school sweetheart since 2007. She is a founder of Delivering Hope NOLA and the Vanessa Wolff Scholarship Fund at her Alma Mater. Mary is passionate in the local preemie community and has been heavily involved with the March of Dimes since her sons Liam and Luke were born premature.

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