Owning Your ‘No’: A Simple Process for Reclaiming Your Clarity & Power

We’re taught to always say Yes to life, yet No is an equally powerful tool that defines boundaries, bringing forth freedom and even respect

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Steve Jobs famously said, “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are.”

According to Jobs, focus is all about finding and owning your no — getting clear, upfront, about what you will and will not do.

But many of us struggle to determine what we need to say no to in the first place, never mind finding the best way to deliver the news to the impacted parties.

Today, many working professionals (especially women) feel uneasy about delivering a clear, direct, unapologetic No. My clients will regularly say “I can’t say no” or “I’m terrible at saying no.” These self-fulfilling