Day #24: Say NO To Arguments

Also, Happy Thanksgiving!

"Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong."

— Peter McIntyre

Today, you'll inevitably be surrounded by friends, by family - the dynamics within which are complex and deep-rooted.  It’s more difficult to say NO to your family than any other cohort in your life.

You don't get to choose your family, but you do get to choose how you conduct yourself around them.

You can either regress into old, familiar patterns and end up having the same conversations and arguments you always do, or you can take a new approach:

Try to take a moment today to step back and look at your reflexive reactions to common triggers. Someone says something that doesn't fit within your political view? Don't engage. Someone criticizes the way you dress? Or your hair? Leave it.

Sometimes, saying NO is more than just not permitting people to take advantage of your time or attention, it's also not letting people take advantage of your emotional well-being.

Relationships are complex. There is one thing that is not: your ability to refuse to escalate a situation for no good reason other than to be 'right'.

Here is a mantra to recite in your head if you are embedded in a conversation or argument that you're unable to extricate yourself from:

"Will this matter one year from now?"

If the answer is NO, you know what to do.

Never forget: A Yes costs you time. A NO buys you time.

Baby steps. 
NO takes practice.
Start small, work your way up.

Happy Thanksgiving.
See you tomorrow.

- Jason