When someone asks us to do something we don’t want to do, we often say yes even though we want to say no, because we think that saying no will feel terrible. But my guest, Dr. Vanessa Patrick, says the opposite is true: we actually feel great when we say no.
So why do we have such a hard time doing so?
Today on the show, Vanessa, who’s the author of The Power of Saying No: The New Science of How to Say No that Puts You in Charge of Your Life, answers that question and more. She shares how to categorize the asks you get into quadrants to determine whether you should say yes or no to them. And she explains how to give an “empowered refusal” — a no that’s phrased in a way that makes it less likely to create offense or pushback — so you can start saying no to the things that don’t matter, and spend more of your time on the things that do.
Resources Related to the PodcastDeveloping Your Personal Uniform
Anxiety Is a Habit — Here's How to Break It
Beyond OODA — Developing the Orientation for Conflict and Violence
Declutter, Downsize, and Move Forward with Your Life
The World of the Transcendentalists and the Rise of Modern Individualism
A Playbook for Modern Dating
Becoming a Hybrid Athlete
How to Shift Out of the Midlife Malaise
We Need a P.E. Revolution
How to Make Life’s Big Decisions
Get on Top of Collaboration Overload
How Long Does It Take to Make Friends (And How Does That Process Work, Anyway)?
The Rise and Fall of Athens
Philosophical Tools for Living the Good Life
The New Science of Narcissism
The Code of the Warrior
Become a Focused Monotasker
Fat Loss Made Simple
The Tiny Habits That Change Everything
Begin the New Year by Reflecting on These 3 Life-Changing Questions [Rebroadcast]
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free