Let’s yap about:
The inability to say no.
We’ve all been there:
A friend asks to go out, but you’re tired, drained, not feeling it, and yet you still say yes. A family member wants help with a DIY project, or feedback on something, or to “quickly look over” a 48-page document — and yet, you say yes.
EVEN WHEN EVERY CELL IN YOUR BODY IS BEGGING YOU NOT TO.
And it didn’t matter who it was, either. Siblings, friends, uncles, aunts, teachers, even strangers (though I was smart enough not to get into a beaten-up white van)… I was practically saying yes to everyone.
The reason?
I didn’t want to upset or disappoint others.
It’s the disease of being “nice.” Or more accurately…
Being afraid to not be nice.
However, that all changed the morning I woke up at 30. For some unknown, unseen reason, I developed this “Don’t like me? Don’t care” shrug mentality that, quite frankly, I wished had come a decade earlier.
It would have saved me countless weekends and evenings doing stuff that drained me.
One can only assume that these “character shifts” accompany most major milestone birthdays.
For me, turning 30 was the moment I realised I am a full-grown man and need to take more responsibility for my life. Gone were the pub crawls, nightclubbing, week-long hangovers, and the occasional dabbling in illegal substances.
(I’m an Overlord — not a saint.)
And gone were the days of saying yes to things I didn’t want to do.
Did it rub some people the wrong way?
Probably.
The funny part is, outside of the odd grunt of disapproval, I rarely heard of any complaints.
Makes me wonder why I didn’t embody this energy sooner. 🤷
Oh well, better late than never, eh?
Anyway, I’m not sure if this bears any fruit for anyone, but that was the idea my subconscious sprouted today. Perhaps tomorrow I will contradict myself.
But for now, if you do feel like saying yes to something, make it this:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle
Unlike helping your neighbour pull up the weeds in their garden, this promises fun, adventure, beasts, fragile alliances, heartbreak, bloody battles, and a brewing war.
DJJW