Saying “no” can be problematic for some people, especially women. Think about how often you’ve said yes to someone and found yourself doing something you didn’t want to do.
So why don’t women say “no” more often?
For one thing, we were raised to be “nice.” Nice people don’t say “no,” they say “yes.”
Sometimes, we say “no,” but no one listens. So our “no” becomes a “yes.”
For instance, I don’t like to drive, but no one pays attention to me when I say that. The next thing I know, I find myself driving across town, on a trip or to the store.
I realize in those instances that my “no” was overlooked with the implication of not liking to drive as being silly.
My desire not to drive has stopped the yearly trips my sister and I used to take to visit family in another state. She still asks if we are going, and when I say “no,” there is that quiet disappointment in her eyes. Two months after our last conversation, I still feel guilty.