The Power of Saying No

by Rochelle Melander

At the beginning of summer, the days feel open and full of possibility. I feel like I can do it all—and still write. Of course I can’t. When I try to do too much and say yes to obligations that don’t make my heart sing, I end up letting go of writing time. And then I feel resentful. I’m learning to say no instead.

Here’s what Anne Lamott says about saying no:

My therapist, Rita, has convinced me that every time I say yes when I mean no, I am abandoning myself, and I end up feeling used or resentful or frantic. But when I say no when I mean no, it’s so sane and healthy that it creates a little glade around me in which I can get the nourishment I need. Then I help and serve people from a place of real abundance and health, …

—Anne Lamott, Operating Instructions, pp.48-9

Here’s my challenge to you this summer. Decide what you want to write. Grab your calendar and block out your writing time. Say no to anything that threatens to interrupt your writing. And then enjoy the feeling of doing what you’d promised yourself you’d do: write!