I’m thinking about what a wonderful word “NO” is this morning.  It’s so versatile and can be used for almost anything.  In fact, I think it’s underutilized.  I wish, sometimes, that I could use it more often.

 

Like when I’m covering phones at work.  When I get a call from a panicked person who waited until the last minute to get the information they need to put in a bid on a project.  I would like to say “NO” to their request for assistance.  They should have asked sooner. 

 

I could easily be a “NO” Nazi if only I wouldn’t get fired for doing that.  I could be a No-Nazi. 

 

When Nike says to me “Just Do It” I would firmly say “No”.   Why?  “No”.  See?  That works beautifully!

 

When I’m having a pissy day and someone smiles at me and says “Have a great day!”  I would scowl at them and say “No”. 

 

It’s more poetic than “Piss Off” for instance.  Short, to the point and the very sound of it conveys the meaning.  Though piss kind of sounds like its meaning also.  I just realized that piss is a loaded word.  Think about it.

People don’t get all worked up about you being a potty mouth like they would if you said “Fuck you”.  If you say “No” they can’t accuse you of swearing at them, but you still get to refuse to cooperate with their stupid ideas.   

My boyfriend just used a fancy combo on facebook.  He said “Fuck No”.  I like that too.  It deepens the meaning but starts getting a little windy using 2 words like that.  Just sayin.

♫ No no no no, no no no no, no no no no no no no no, no no no no, no no no no, no no no no no no no no, no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no ♫ 

Use the melody from the old Meow Mix commercial for this lovely “No” tune!  This exercise will limber your tongue for many “No”s today.  Many.  Unless you’re in a really generous mood.  Or want to stay employed.  (Curse my need for money!)

 

Saying “No” is a skill we should develop.  Some folks are probably pros but some need work.  I found a blog  http://michaelhyatt.com/5-reasons-why-you-need-to-get-better-at-saying-no.html about 5 good reasons to say “No”.  Here they are if you're too lazy to read the article. 

If we don’t get better at saying “no,”

1.        Other peoples’ priorities will take precedence over ours.

2.        Mere acquaintances—people we barely know!—will crowd out time with family and close friends.

3.        We will not have the time we need for rest and recovery.

4.        We will end up frustrated and stressed.

5.        We won’t be able to say “yes” to the really important things.

It is so true!  Haven't you ever said “Yes” to something and then felt the inward cringe begin?  Plus, you sometimes have to turn down other things you would have preferred to do because you said “Yes” to something you didn’t want to do, because you didn’t want to make someone unhappy.  That’s the rub.  Saying “No” can make people unhappy with you.  But it can also simplify your life.  And sometimes that’s necessary.

 

The guy in the blog has made “No” his default answer instead of “Yes”.  He saves “Yes” for things that are really worth saying “Yes” to!  That thinking has merit.  I don’t know that I’m ready to go that far yet but it’s worth a ponder.