You can say NO and still be a good friend

The thing about obligations is that they play on our guilt strings. We will generally say “yes” because saying “no” will disappoint the other person. We don’t want to inconvenience them or hurt their feelings. We want to be a good friend. We don’t really have a good reason to turn them down. It was our only free moment of the week, however, at least it’s not cutting into our other obligations, right?

But aren’t YOU an obligation?

– Reclaim Your Creative Soul

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A friend of mine contacted me today after reading this chapter on boundaries in Reclaim Your Creative Soul, and she told me how much it spoke to her. At the moment, one of her acquaintances was going through some hard life stuff, and my friend was doing what she could to be there for this person. However, this person’s needs were starting to trample my friend’s personal life, infringing on time and energy she had reserved for herself. This chapter gave my friend inspiration to take a step back, allowing her the permission she was seeking to replace boundaries that had been momentarily lost.

When it comes to our time and energy, we are our only advocates. Only YOU have the power to say NO when it comes to how you will be spending your time and energy. No one is looking out for you. No one knows how much you are capable of giving, and when it’s necessary to pull in the reins. Only you know this, and you have to speak up!

This is especially true as an artist. Because your passion is creativity-based, it can often look like you are just messing around when you are in fact working very hard on your art. If you wish to maintain your creativity as a huge part of your day-to-day life, you have to place strong boundaries around the time you plan on being creative. Making art is not messing around—it’s a serious part of who you are as a person.

For more tips on how to add more creativity to your life, read Reclaim Your Creative Soul.