It’s okay to say “No”

2016 was pretty rough for me. I was unmotivated in my life. Both my career and personal life wasn’t going as ideal as I’ve wanted it to. There were many days where I would just drag myself to work, because I needed to work, and not because I enjoyed doing what I was doing.

I’m sure you’ve been there before, especially if you’re working for someone else. I was constantly comparing myself to my fellow peers who apparently seemed to be doing very well in their own lives. Some already got their HDB flat, some got promoted, others travelling around the world enjoying life as it should be. All plastered around my social media. Why can’t I be like them? Being bogged down by all the things happening around me, I felt like I hit rock bottom. I felt lost. There wasn’t really anyone to share my misery and woes with me.

In the beginning of 2017, I’ve told myself that I would make certain changes in my life. I want to improve myself in many ways. Whether it was emotionally, physically or financially. I’m not going to continue to waste my life any further. I promised myself that I would do better, and I can be better. There is more to life than just work. I should set a direction for myself to where I want to end up in life eventually.

And I did. In the entire 27 years of my life, I made my first list of “New Year Resolutions“. In that list, I added 10 goals that I think would have helped me emotionally, physically and financially. I stuck it to my cubicle wall so that I can look at it occasionally and remind myself of the things that I have to do.

I quit social media – in a way. I refused to check my Facebook account as often as I did by removing the app on my phone. I could only access it through a web browser which made the page load slower so that I would give up waiting. That really helped a lot in removing all the social pressure that I have put on myself unconsciously.

Previously, I had a big problem with saying “No“. It always leaves me guilty and oppressed inside, because “No” is a pretty negative response for someone who is generally positive like me. But in 2017, I’ve learned that it’s okay to say “No“, because I have more important things to do. My life became my own priority, because I made it so. I’m still learning, of course, but I realize that I felt better inside once I got used to it. Because the benefits of saying “No” are awesome. It leaves me somewhere better in my own life. And that’s where I want to be.

Half of 2017 has passed, and I’ve also achieved almost half of the things on my list. Otherwise, I’ve improvised it so that I can move even further. I somehow feel more excited for my future. I haven’t felt like that in a long, long time. And it feels good. 🙂

Thanks for reading!

Miss Niao xoxo