I hate to miss out on anything.

At a party, you might find me there right till the very end because I don’t want to miss seeing or experiencing anything.

I have a really hard time turning down invitations to anything.

I don’t want to miss out on the conversations, connections, experiences, laughs, and great time that I know I’ll have.

When you say yes to one thing, you say no to something else.

And yet, by trying not to miss out on one thing, I inevitably miss out on or say no to something else.

I may say yes to having a fantastic time with friends, for example, but in doing so, I will miss sharing an amused eye roll with my husband at a corny movie line or kissing my daughter as I tuck her into bed.

“When you say ‘Yes’ to others, make sure you are not saying ‘No’ to yourself.”—Paulo Coelho

This is not a new concept but it is a great reminder as our holiday season becomes strung with garlands upon garlands of invitations.

So what’s a gal to do? Some suggestions

In preparation, I invite you to

  1. Think about what you most want in your life or what you especially want more of
  2. Think about what is most important in your life right now

Is this family time?

Friends time?

Down time?

Good times?

Alone time?

Cheers time?

Introspective goals time?

Then make your decision

If that invitation fits with the things you have deemed to be what you most want or what is most important, it’s easy to say yes.

If it doesn’t, you can say no.

And when you say no, let go of any guilt or regret.

“Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best.” John C. Maxwell