If you struggle with saying no, expressing your limits and knowing your responsibilities at work, it’s time to have an honest conversation with yourself.

Is it that you can’t say no or that you’ve never said no in the first place?

Is it that you can’t say that you don’t have the bandwidth for something? Or is that you have, whether consciously or not, created the impression that your bandwidth is to infinity and beyond?

Does your company fire or undertake other punitive measures when people say no? Or is it that you’ve bought into societal messaging or what appears to be the company culture that tells you that “no is wrong” and that working until you collapse is a badge of honour?

Is it that you can’t say no or that you feel uncomfortable about saying no and letting people know what is and isn’t possible in all areas of your life?

The culture of work is undoubtedly very exploitative. It relies on people engaging in habits like people pleasing, perfectionism, overgiving, overthinking and over-responsibility. Hello, anxiety, resentment, stress-related illness, frustration and burnout. But those same habits tell you about your own relationship with boundaries and where you may be limiting your options.

Check out my online course Reclaim Your Work Boundaries.

For more help with learning to say no when you need, should, or want to, order my new book, The Joy of Saying No: A Simple Plan to Stop People Pleasing, Reclaim Boundaries, and Say Yes to the Life You Want (HarperCollins/Harper Horizon), out now and available at all booksellers.

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