Learning to say no: the first time I used this word to stand up for myself made my knees shake a little and I found myself almost whispering this two-letter word. After all, I was also saying this to an authority figure in my life. They didn’t even flinch! They accepted my “no” and almost thanked me for being honest. What?!

So, what about now? It’s been a few years since that first moment. If I feel my body twinge, I take a moment to stop. My knee jerk response now is, let me check my calendar or let me check with my husband. Then I ask myself this question, “will this be life giving for me?” Yes, there are times when we have to do things because of circumstances but in those other times I have found that this question allows me to give notice to myself. Cheers to you!