You know when you jump to say yes too fast, maybe to a client, a project, a volunteer opportunity, etc. And only after do you realize that no was not only the answer you should have given, but it would actually have been the better answer for both you and the person/people/opportunity you said yes to?
Yeah, I know you know.
I tend to say yes to fast and not step aside when I realize I’m not the right person for the job… because I’m scared to quit. I’m scared to say no. I’m scared to disappoint people, and ironically, saying yes when I shouldn’t often leads to mistakes and disappointing people.
Recently, this “not saying no” factor has been a not-so-nice reason for me to get down on myself. While searching for some self forgiveness and “get-over-youself”ness…
I realized I was craving space.
Then something happened. I talked to one person who I supposed to contact for a while, but had not – I apologized and fessed up to the fact I was not person to help. I told another person I couldn’t commit to something I already said I could do. And a few days later, I started looking for a replacement for a project I took on that was really something I didn’t want to do.
With each act of quitting, I felt a little more space was created.
Saying yes to fast is not a bid deal, it’s just a habit.
And it just takes practice to break habits.
And it just takes practice to create new habits.
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