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“No.” is enough. You are saying No to the request, not the person. You don’t have to justify yourself.

Derek Strike
6 min readDec 23, 2024
Getty Images - Daniel Lozano Gonzalez

“Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.” — Josh Billings.

A familiar scenario: You’ve just declined an invitation, and suddenly, you’re justifying your decision with a long list of reasons.

Imagine a world where you could say “no” without feeling guilty or the need to explain yourself.

Sounds liberating, doesn’t it?

Yet, many of us struggle with this simple two-letter word, often feeling compelled to justify our decisions. But here’s a powerful truth: “No” is enough. It can empower us to set boundaries and protect our time, energy, and priorities.

This article will help you understand that you don’t need to justify your “no.” We’ll explore why we feel this pressure, the benefits of a simple refusal, and how to overcome the guilt associated with it.

We’ll end with a key takeaway to help you reframe the process and make it easier to work with.

Why Do We Feel Compelled to Justify Ourselves?

We feel pressured to justify our decisions from societal standards, prioritising others’ needs over our own

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Derek Strike
Derek Strike

Written by Derek Strike

Writing is about becoming conscious. Nothing in life is of any value unless it is shared with others. Love to learn and be challenged.

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