Always Saying Yes

I don’t ever say no. Or at least I never used to. That’s how I ended up where I am right now. For years I said yes to everything I was asked to do. I’m thinking about my job as a teacher. I didn’t even say no when I was asked to go to grad school so I could become a principal. Because I didn’t stand my ground and said yes to everything, I got to a point where it became impossible for me to continue that practice. I was pushed and pushed and pushed beyond the boundaries that I should have had. So when it came time to answer the question I was asked last… Do you want to become the permanent principal? The job is yours if you want it. For the first time ever, I said “no” in the loudest, most profound way I could muster. No, I do not want to become the permanent principal and continue in this highly toxic work environment.

However, where I am now is because of all the years I said yes. Because I kept agreeing to take on all the various tasks and commitments, I burned myself out. Saying yes to grad school gave me a masters degree and the insight to know that I could not continue at the school where I was. Being a principal was NOT for me. In the end, not saying no helped me leave that job. I finally saw what it was doing to me because I had taken everything on.

Now, my goal is to become a writer. I don’t know. Maybe I already am a writer. But as I am pursuing my goal of becoming a published writer, I will say ‘no’ as many times as necessary to reach that goal. Right now there’s not much that is interfering. I’m sure something will come up in the future. I will absolutely be better equipped to say no then, because I see the value in it. I see what happened to me when I didn’t say no. I won’t make that mistake again.