'No' - A Complete Sentence

Several years ago, an older friend of mine asked me this question, "Jay, do you know who to seek out when you need something done?" "Who?" I said. He then replied, "If you want something done, and you want it done right, you give it to the busiest person that you know." I suppose what he meant is that some people are busy with multiple projects because they do them well. On the flip side, however, can being busy negatively impact our quality of work?

It's hard to say no, isn't it? I suppose we feel that when someone dear to us asks for our help, we feel a sort of obligation to them. We just can't say no. But is it healthy to take on more than we can handle? I mean, there's only but so much time in a day, right?

Last year, my friend Karen looked at me and said, "Remember, Jay. 'No' is a complete sentence." Those words have stuck with me ever since. I try to think of it like this. We can't truly take care of others unless we also take care of ourselves. In our honest efforts to help so many, we wear ourselves down to the point of exhaustion. Our help can then sometimes become more of a hinderance because we are no longer able to give our best.

Dear friends, we are given a number of wonderful opportunities in this life. Yet, just like those three doors on "Let's Make a Deal," not every opportunity is the right opportunity for us. May we each grown in our ability to discern which opportunities we ought to take. In doing so, may we also take care of ourselves by not taking on too much. Let us be thoughtful and discerning in deciding when to say 'yes' and when to say 'no.'