Growing up, I never wanted to hear the word “No.”  It meant the death of the most exciting ideas, adventures and sometimes mischief.  I equated it to discipline, rejection and just a plain party-pooper response.  However, now that I am much older (and I would like to think a bit wiser), I came to a crossroad that challenged me to change my mindset.

My career focuses on community involvement and being visible, so I often get asked to volunteer in many ways.  Maybe it’s making cookies for the bake sale, joining a committee or local organization like the Chamber of Commerce, or sitting on a Board of Directors for a local business or non-profit.  All of these have enriched my life in so many ways, but I had reached volunteer overload.  I swear that once you volunteer, your name must appear on some secret list for all groups, individuals and organizations to call.  I got hit from every angle for years. 

While I truly enjoy helping and giving of my time, I discovered that I was in burn-out mode and spreading myself so thin that no one was getting the best of me, especially my family.  Like taffy or a rubber band…we can stretch ourselves for a long time but eventually we will snap!  This is when the real moral battle began.  The do-gooder in me jumped into the ring with practical me, and the gloves came off!  I struggled with the guilt of letting people down.  I struggled with looking incompetent if I wasn’t serving on multiple committees and boards. I struggled with the fear of not being asked again if I turned them down this time.  And if I am being honest, I also struggled with not getting the recognition that serving for these organizations provided. 

However, while I was bobbing and weaving around all of these struggles, I was sucker punched with the notion that saying “No” to others was actually saying “Yes” to me.  By changing the way I looked at things, the things I looked at changed. The negative connotation melted away, and I started to see “No” as a way to balance my crazy life.  I realized that by limiting volunteer commitments, I actually became better at everything.  I had time to give more to the few instead of giving little to the many.  My relationships with friends, my husband and my daughter grew stronger.  Most importantly, I found that I now have time to devote to the one person who suffered the most from my lack of attention – ME!  “No” gave me more: more sleep, more exercise and actually more time to read books again.

I can finally give “No” the credit it’s due. It’s the happy medium where I can give back to others and still give to myself guilt-free.  “No” is definitely the new “Yes.”

About the Author:

Team-Taxi_Kelly-Domaille

Kelly Domaille, Associate Broker/Coach – Domaille Real Estate at Keller Williams Premier Realty.

Kelly is a licensed Real Estate Broker and Realtor, a coach, a wife and mother…in no particular order!  She lives in Byron, Minnesota and has been a Midwesterner her whole life.  Travel, golf and having fun with family and friends go hand in hand with her motto of “Work Hard – Play Hard!”  

0 Comments

Leave a reply

Copyright ©2023SheTaxi All rights reserved

CONTACT US

We're not around right now. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Sending

Log in with your credentials

or    

Forgot your details?

Create Account