I have to admit something. I was last year years old when I learned what FOMO was and that I was suffering from it bad! If you dont know (like I surely didnt) FOMO is the Fear of Missing Out. The feeling that you have to act now, purchase or say yes now, or you will miss out.
For the longest time I was a knee-jerk reactor, one that couldn’t pass up a sale, invite, offer and definitely the one that you could most likely get to agree to something last minute🤦🏾♀️. I chased the rush and was pretty much addicted to the “high” of the acting right away.
Now while living that kind of life did provide a sense of “thrill” or a rush of the unknown, the truth is as soon as I made a purchase or went somewhere I didn’t exactly want to go I would immediately feel the “low” after the “high”. I would feel this way until the next “act now” situation. This rollercoaster of emotions left me feeling drained, exhausted and even increased my anxiety.
I knew that this cycle of “highs” and “lows” couldnt continue and the only way out was reprogramming the way I viewed “missing out”. I had to get really serious with myself + why I felt such a panic to always act right away. This year I gave myself permission to say NO and found a whole new superpower yall.
The Truth + Realization
No without explanation is an answer. Thats it. Thats the full thought. “No” is always an option and answer.
There are ZERO reasons to say “yes” to every:
- invitation
- opportunity
- sale
- client (if you are in business)
- Request
- Offer
Have you ever heard the saying “all money, isn’t good money”, the same rings true for opportunity, invitation, clients, sales etc. All opportunities are not good opportunities. Just because you are presented with something doesnt mean you have to accept.
If you chose to not accept, you dont have to give an explanation. No is enough.
When I started saying no
It wasn’t revolutionary, the moment I started saying “no” with conviction. Just a girl with a realization that if I wasn’t saying “YES” with my whole chest then I wasn’t answering at all. It was really that simple for me.
This simple thought process removed such a weight from my shoulders and made me (still does) feel like a true co-creator in this thing called life. It made me feel like I wasn’t just “waiting” for opportunity but actually taking the steps to cultivate what I allowed in my world. And yes we are cultivating our environments with each yes and acceptance. People, places or situations cant get a seat at our proverbial tables without an invitation friend. So as much as we would like to think that things simply happen to us (they do to a degree) alot of what we call into our lives is based on the things we say “yes” to.
The Power of No
We have been taught time and time again to say “yes” to all the things and all the opportunities. We say yes out of fear. Yes due to unknowns. Or yes because someone else said yes first. There are so many reason that people say yes that has nothing to do with what’s best for them. Here are 2 truths. All decisions should be made with the “What is best for me” thought process in mind. Secondly only you know whats right for you.
When we say no to those things that aren’t right we are opening the door and making room to say yes to future opportunities that are a better fit and that are more aligned with our trues self.
As we take the time to reflect over this first quarter of 2021 I want to empower you to say yes to the things that really matter and spark joy. Give yourself permission to say no to those things that do not align, brings on anxiety or activates the FOMO feeling. Yeses rooted in intention and alignment is the goal. Stay encouraged my friends as you continue to make the choices that are best for you regardless of what anyone else thinks.