Having trouble saying NO

Posted on January 22, 2025 by Ioana Marcu, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.

Being able to say “no” to some things, allows you to say “yes” to other things. Saying “no” can be difficult for many people, for many reasons. Saying “no” in effective and empowering ways can take practice and support. As my late colleague, Lucia Capacchione, once said to me: Saying no is so crucial to having success in your life

Journaling prompts for saying “No:”
The word “no” is an important part of assertive communication and setting boundaries. Without it, we would say “yes” to everything and risk becoming overwhelmed and burnt out.

• How easy is it for you to say “no” to the requests of others?
• How hard is it for you to say “no”?
• When have you said “no” to something so that you could say “yes” to working on and completing your work?
• How did that feel?

When you witness other people say “no” and set limits with their time so they can prioritize their creative work, how do you feel about them? Do you admire them? Resent them? Wish you could do that too. Just get curious about this. We can learn a lot about our relationship to the word “no” by witnessing how we feel about other people’s “no’s”.