NO…A Word for Your Day

By Jane Bishop

What about this word “No”?

It is a simple word, only two letters. Yet, saying “no” aloud is harder for some than saying, “I’ll be glad to.” Most of us said no quite well in the terrible twos phase. The adults in our lives at the time expected us to say no.

As we grow older, the word no begins to drop out of our vocabulary as we use phrases to be agreeable, to keep the other person happy, to not offend, and certainly to not say no to an authority figure. We say yes when we are thinking no. Underneath it all, we believe that saying no can cost us in our adult lives, and it impacts our self-leadership.

In that context, ponder these questions.

1. When you think about saying no, what are you aware of internally?

2. When you think about occasions that you have said no, what visual emerges?

3. When you consider saying no, what is the story you commonly tell yourself?

There is power in saying no. You are empowered to be yourself when you say no as Dr. Henry Cloud has written in the book, Boundaries. Think about no as a tool that helps create boundaries and helps define what is me and what is not me.

Before you can create healthy boundaries with other people, you must create boundaries with yourself. When you are clear about where you end and someone else begins, it allows you to oversee your life more effectively.

Here are three actions to begin practicing immediately and experience the power of no:

• choose your non-negotiables and guard them daily

• develop key phrases that communicate no and practice, for example, “I am unavailable at that time”

• grant yourself permission to say no

Are you content with life managing you and just surviving, or would you rather thrive and manage life? Visualize getting ready to say no using one of your phrases. You know it is the right thing to do; however, the self-sabotaging talk begins to church internally. When you note that, stop and make a physical shift. If you are standing, sit. If you are driving, move your hand. If you are sitting, shift in your chair, etc. That split-second physical shift will begin to trigger your brain so you can respond with your no.

Learning to say no is a common challenge I work on in coaching clients and teams. Once they grasp the power of no and create ways to communicate that message, it is very freeing. I also offer a one-hour virtual webinar on this topic. Contact me to schedule it for your team/ organization.

When will you start practicing saying no? Who will you ask to hold you accountable?

More information at www.janebishoplive.com.

Universal Aquatics

Continued from page 5

The process is easy. First, John and his team will talk to you to discuss what kind of features you want, your budget, and other considerations like design styles and whether you will have fish in your outdoor pond. One thing John prides himself on is his honesty with potential customers. If a proposed feature is out of line with a proposed budget, John lets a customer know that upfront. If the feature isn’t practical for the space the clients have, he works with them to redesign the feature or offer other options, keeping in mind the original inspiration that drove the client to pursue this idea from the beginning. At the end of the day, John would rather not install a feature than install one that isn’t right for a client.

Of course, when that client is Shaq, the team can let their imagination run a little wild. On two separate occasions, John and Universal Aquatics have partnered with other businesses to create a water feature for the famous basketballer’s home in our very own McDonough, Georgia.

“It was a beast,” said John of the most recent undertaking. “It took us ten days to complete, and we used over a million pounds of stone.”

You can check it out for yourself at https://www.youtube.com/@ Universalaquatics to see not only this fantastic installation but several of the projects that Universal Aquatics has completed.

Are you ready to talk about water features with John and his team? Just call them at (404) 680-2150 or email info@universalaquatics.com to start designing and implementing your water feature.

More information at https://universalaquatics.com/

Insurance Matters

Continued from page 8 before you call the number on your television screen and get the cheapest policy you can find. And don’t forget to consider a return of premium policy that can protect you today and reward you tomorrow.

More information at 770-910-3399 or darrell.watson.e3u6@statefarm.com