“No” became my superpower.

“No, I will not be attending that.”

“Thank you, but no, I will not be exchanging errands.”

“No, I will not lend you money.”

“No.”

Said plainly. No apology. No caveat. Just “no.”

As a perfectionist and people pleaser, I felt it was my responsibility to always be available for those who needed me. Ironically, I was the first to tell others how much they needed to set boundaries, pour into themselves, and remember that “No” is a complete sentence. Yet here we are—those same people are still in the same place I am, stuck in a cycle of not following my advice. Clearly, neither of us is walking the talk

We all have a tendency to put others first, but in doing so, we can sometimes neglect our relationship with ourselves. Learn to be your own advocate and show yourself a kinder, gentler way to treat the most important person in your life.