Command Joy with the Word No

When I was a little girl, if my parents told me no, I flipped out. I would scream, fight, cry, go wild because they told me no. That one little word had so much strength in it! It was so powerful that I allowed it to take over my emotions. I mentally and physically couldn’t handle the word no.

The thing was that I didn’t want to hear the word no. No meant restriction away from what I wanted. No meant I couldn’t get what I knew I needed to get.

The word NO ignited such a strong force in me. It was a trigger word. It unleashed this other side of my personality that I typically kept quiet. It had such power. Such force.

As I got a little older, I still hated the word no. No felt so restrictive. So constraining. If a boy told me no, I just wanted him more. If a teacher told me no, I would study harder and set out to prove them wrong. If a coach told me no, I would practice harder to show them I could do it. If my parents told me no, well watch out world…a tantrum was about to be unleashed. The word no had so much power over me.

Over time, finally, I started to see the beauty in the word No. In life, we have so many freaking options.  So many choices. So many paths we can take. So much to see. So much to do. So much to learn. So. Much. It can be overwhelming!

The word no has allowed me to be more focused. The word no has closed doors to opportunities I wasn’t meant to have. The word no from a man I loved meant he wasn’t the one for me. The word no from a company I wanted to work for meant I could take my talents elsewhere.
Now when I hear the word no, instead of flipping out, in my mind I think, “Next!”

Don’t get me wrong. There are some no’s I am not okay accepting. Like when I take my book to a publisher and they tell me no. That doesn’t mean I am going to stop trying. No way. It just means I change course and ask someone or somewhere else.
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Let’s start to see the beauty in the No. Command Joy today with embracing the next no you hear.