Just Say No

I am sure there are many of you who try to be supportive of others and their ventures. I like supporting others when I can because it is such a great feeling to see their face light up when they see how much others care. Everyone wants support after all to some degree. However, it doesn’t mean that they will be just as supportive of you and your ventures. Of course I learned that by experience. It was a painful lesson, but I am grateful nonetheless.

I know by now you are probably asking, “what does that have to do with simplifying life?” Well part of the simplifying process is eliminating stress whenever possible. Stress can be defined as “to suffer annoyance or irritation” OR “importance or significance attached to a thing” according to the dictionary. If support from loved ones (family, friends, etc) is something that is important to you, then not receiving it can cause stress and disappointment.

If this describes you or if you think that this could apply to you, then I would like to share a couple of options of reducing or eliminating this stressful situation.

• Assume that the people you want to be supportive of will not be supportive of you in the future. Therefore, when you do pursue your own ventures and they are not supportive, there is no tension or stress because you already knew what to expect.
• Ask them if they will be just as supportive of you when you need them or if this is an “all about me” relationship? You can determine at that time what role you will play in their ventures.
• Last, but not least, just say “NO.”

I guess you are wondering which option I chose to apply. Well, I didn’t choose just one. I decided the option I applied would be dependent upon the situation. The bottom line is no two people are alike so you have to take this into consideration when trying to be supportive of others. If you think it is gonna create “stress” when others aren’t as supportive of you, then you need to review your options and choose the one that would be best for you.