14. The Art of Saying No: Reclaiming Your Time with These 9 Scripts

How skilled are you at saying "no?"

If you have people-pleasing tendencies, you might find it especially challenging to say “no” because it’s easier to choose being accommodating.

In this episode of The Overwhelm Cure, I'm taking a closer look at why we hesitate to say no and the ripple effects that can occur when we're constantly putting our priorities aside to make people happy.

Over the past couple of years, I've had some personal experiences with this, including turning down two high-profile CEO positions. In the end, I had to choose my passion.

Here's what you'll discover in today's episode:

• The often-overlooked cost of overcommitting and stretching ourselves too thin

• My personal experience of declining two well-paying CEO positions

• How to view every "no" as a way of saying "yes" to your values — and really, yourself

• 9 scripts you can use today to practice saying "no" with grace

• Just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should

I hope my story and these scripts help you start saying yes to what matters most to you.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction: Reclaiming Your Time

00:46 The Cost of Overcommitting

01:23 Personal Experiences with Saying No

03:41 Designing a Life Aligned with Your Priorities

06:16 Choosing Passion over Money and Titles

11:05 The Cost of Overcommitting

14:33 Learning to Say "No" with Grace

23:29 Building Keystone Habits

28:51 Conclusion: Embracing Authenticity and Prioritizing Yourself