Some people find it hard to say no, they are afraid of how it will be received
You can be blunt and brutally honest sometimes
No you cannot borrow my car, last time it came back all dirty with an empty tank
No I will not lend you money until you get paid, you need to spend less
No I do not want another drink, you probably had enough too
No I cannot deal with your request right now, I am too busy
Or you say no and still be nice about it
Sorry I promised myself never to lend my car to anybody but I am going into town shorty if you need a ride
I’m sorry I just can’t lend you any more money but I will gift you this great book on how to manage your personal finances
Its been a fun evening but I need to leave soon so its best if I just finish this last drink, thank you so much for the kind offer though and I hope you enjoy your last drink as much as I did mine
I understand exactly what you need and I will work on it as soon as I am available
Whichever way you choose , its appropriate to say no sometimes
If you are not satisfied with the way you live your life right now, here are some things you can do to make it better. Start with the first task in Week 1, then add a further task each week so that you are covering all 8 areas by Week 8.
Week 1– Join the wake daily up at 5am club. It does not have to be so early, as long as you can find one hour every morning when you will be alone without any interruptions. Use this hour to complete these three 20 minute tasks in any order you want:
20 minutes of exercise with at least 10 minutes of cardio, 5 minutes of weights or resistance and 5 minutes of stretching. If you are not sure how to do any part, find an online video.
20 minutes of reading to learn a new skill or acquire knowledge.
20 minutes of gentle relaxation and meditation.
Repeat this one hour routine daily, even at weekends or days off work.
Week 2– Make a plan to declutter your possessions. Assign some time each week to tackle a specific room or area and put things into keep and dispose piles. Organize the things you keep so they are accessible, anything in a container can be labelled for easy identification. Donate or dispose of stuff every week.
Week 3– If your spending is out of control, cut up the credit cards or reduce them to just one. Cancel subscriptions to things that are non-essential like cable TV, music streaming or Apps. Track your spending with a free App or a notepad to accurately record your outgoings. Make decisions on what you can afford and create a realistic budget for essentials like food, shelter, heating, commuting and self care/medical. Allocate spending for entertainment and fun but stick within your budget. If you are overwhelmed go see a financial adviser. Allocate time to this task weekly.
Week 4– Reduce your screen time from phones, computers and TV. Put your phone on silent for most of the day so you are not interrupted by unscheduled calls, texts or notifications. Consider giving up social media completely, it is not an essential part of healthy living. Spend more time in nature taking walks or bike riding. Stop and smell the roses. Make a plan to focus on this each week.
Week 5– Prioritize experiences over material possessions. Find joy in simple things like writing, reading, spending time with loved ones or just taking a walk. Every week, find time to reach out to a friend or loved one you have drifted from.
Week 6– Plan your time effectively and leave gaps between tasks to allow for over-run or downtime. Practice single tasking and try to finish a task before starting a new one. Learn to say no to things that are not important to you and focus more on what is. Check in on this aspect weekly
Week 7– Practice self care to ensure your physical, mental and spiritual well being is not being ignored. If you need to lose weight, start a diet and exercise program. If your drinking habits are excessive, considering having a totally dry month. Join a group with shared interests and consider volunteering as a way to donate your time helping others. Verify you have addressed this at least one a week.
Week 8– Look back and reflect on how your life has improved, allocate more time on areas that are not yet yielding results. Reward yourself with some outrageous, decadent, delicious, guilt-free self indulgence.