I know so many people who accept other people’s opinions over their own.  Friends who agree to do anything they are asked to do and because of that run themselves ragged, attempting to get everything done that they agreed to.  Family members who are doormats, and very unhappy about it, but won’t say no.

It could all be stopped by a small, even tiny two letter word.  “NO”

But first, let me give you some background of how I got started.

Arla at a young age; standing on her left knee and right foot

My personal qualifications on teaching this subject really began at the age of 5 when I got my first artificial leg.  Due to a congenital birth defect, my right leg did not grow.  Growing up with physical disability exposed me to many people who attempted to define what they thought I could or couldn’t be and should or shouldn’t do.

Doctors, nurses, my parents, other family members, friends and complete strangers all had an opinion on what my life should look like and for some reason; most of them thought they were helping me by sharing it with me.

The thing was, most of the opinions did not move me forward in being and doing what I wanted. Most of the opinions imposed false limitations.  My opportunity amongst the false limitations was to say NO to accepting them as truth and say YES to becoming very focused and clear on what I wanted to do; which was to live a life where my disability did not define who I was. I choose to live the life I want to live.

As you can see from my background, I learned the hard way how to say no to other people’s opinions, attitudes and reactions to me.

I became involved in coaching for an elite leadership training program, and as I helped people overcome the challenges that were holding them back, I realized that most of the time, a simple no could solve their problems.

No to time requests that kept them from doing what was necessary to create the outcome they wanted.  No to other people’s opinions about what they were doing.  No to distractions.

When the students I coached started saying no, the change in their lives was amazing.  I loved seeing it.  I still get excited thinking of some of the astonishing changes I helped create.

So, Why am I so passionate about teaching people to say no? I love seeing people get their lives back, not be doormats, create abundance for themselves, boost their self respect and confidence, feel good about themselves.  It’s FUN!

My purpose in life is to share my story so anyone can learn to stand up for themselves, feel the JOY of saying NO and have the opportunity to say YES to what they really WANT and Not Feel Guilty.  In fact to feel Excited, Energized and Empowered when saying NO.

March 2013 Issue