NO is also an option

There is a lot happening in the world as time moves fast. Previously we were only kids and now we are adults dealing with the struggles that comes with liberty. So, it can be difficult to remember that saying no is also an option especially when we live in a time where we constantly have to prove ourselves and what we are doing with our lives.

Right from childhood, in schools we are taught to be kind, respect others and give a helping hand as well. These kind of things led to saying yes to a lot of things and sometimes these things can also be discomforting for us. Hence, it brought about the odd look of saying no. Looking at the word as a negative that should not be used especially in certain settings. It is even seen as being selfish. Well for me that is not the case. I see it as an option, because tell me why is it one could envision another person saying yes but one cannot envision the answer no especially when they are told. It's odd right when you think about it. But it is just another answer as well, so why don't you use it as well.

To me I have come to see the word no as a word of discipline as it shuts the door to something else inorder to keep one door open. It is about priorities and keeping it straight for yourself when knowing what to deny yourself especially for something else. For instance you want to read, or better still you have said yes to reading so now you have to say no to other distractions like notifications from your phone. This is the kind of discipline I am talking about. Something had to receive the no option so you could say yes to another. I like to see things like this: one door closes just for another one to open. Something has to be denied for another to be accepted.

It is often expected to notice the presence of guilt especially when the word no is used. You feel let down because you have disappointed one end just to keep the other open. Well, for me, these are the kind of metrics that governs the world. Just like you cannot please everyone and you cannot be the same person to everyone, you will get used to the presence of the guilt when you use the word no. You will get to understand that priorities is the sitting panel for life's justification. We all have to discipline ourselves into knowing what to deny for the moment inorder to achieve the long term gratification. These simple things become life guiding principles as we get older.

Also here is a silent help to remember the possibility of no also comes with its growth tendencies. You know that you have gotten to the point where you know what is important to you and what is not. Denying the distractions that comes to hunt down your productivity. It is not easy at first but over time it becomes easy when you begin to see how it preserves your energy. It can remove the exhaustion of being present in every instance because of the yes you have said a lot of times, then thereby leaving you too busy for what is important. No is not an easy word to say but it is one that is needed for discipline.

_{I am @samostically, a chess player and writer. I love to share the experience I have gained from different battles over the 64 squares and the knowledgeable insights from books I have read. But most importantly, I am a Midnight Owl and I founded the community Midnight Letters.}

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