Many people find it extremely difficult to say ‘No’ to people’s requests and demands. I personally struggled with this for most of my life.  Why do so many of us find it so difficult to say ‘No’? From analysing my own experiences and talking to other people I have found the following to be some of the causes.   * Habit * Underestimating a task * Desire to rescue, serve and please others * Fear of rejection * Guilt * Poor self-esteem and self-confidence * Not knowing how to be assertive * Avoids confrontation  It is important to understand that always saying ‘YES’ can lead to overload and feelings of frustration, resentment, stress and can also steel you away from important activities in your life. I classify important activities in your life as activities that make you happy and healthy and that contribute in some way to you achieving your life’s goals.  It is important to understand that when you say ‘YES’ to accepting an undertaking  y...

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  Self-image is how your perceive yourself. It comprises of a number of self-impressions that have been built up over time. Your self-image has a direct impact on your identity, behaviour and results. A positive self-image is extremely important in aiding you to achieve the results that you want in your life and ultimately your level of happiness. It has been said that you will never out-perform your self-image. Your image of yourself can be distorted in comparison to how others see you. It is very important to understand this point. We can be over critical of ourselves or think too highly of ourselves. Either way it can be detrimental to us. It is important to have a realistic image of yourself. How do you see yourself? The way that you see yourself can manifest itself in how others end up seeing you. If you project a positive self-image others will more likely see you as a positive, capable person. It is easy to be fooled in thinking that an intelligent, attractive and fi...

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  Fear is defined as a powerful biological feeling of unpleasant risk or danger, either real or imagined. It is believed that we are all born with an innate sense of fear and this is important as it helps us to remain safe and protects us from potential danger to our wellbeing. However, the fears that are learned can be a barrier to self-growth and self-betterment. Our experiences in our environment can unintentionally imprint fear and limitation in our minds. Phrases such as “Don’t do that or I’ll smack you!” or “Be careful, you will hurt yourself.” are heard from a young age and plant fear and thoughts of limitation in our minds and these fears tend to grow as we grow older and affect many areas of our lives. To succeed in life and get what you truly want you will need to overcome the fears that are limiting you. We all experience certain fears; fear of rejection, fear of loss, fear of criticism, fear of growing old, fear of change etc. The key is to overcome them and you...

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