A "No" That Matters

We are defined by the “noes” we say.

In February, I wrote about the guilt-free “no”, the one that was about self-care and respect.

Here, I write about another kind of “no”, the one that is about our integrity.

We might be very tempted to take this job, or grab that “opportunity” that we think will bring us closer to our goal(s). What happens when this “opportunity” requires actions, partnerships, or anything else that goes against our values? That lowers our standards or goes against what we say we stand for? Shall we practice flexibility? Will we be proud of our success once achieved? Will our image or brand name be affected? Shall we sleep well at night? Even if we silence the voice of conscience and we convince ourselves that our self-respect is not affected, will we still be in harmony with who we know we want to be and what we do?

We are not only judged by the things we do. We are also judged by the things we refuse to do.

Learn your values. And learn to say "no" to everything that goes against them. No opportunity comes from any such compromise.