Yes we can! Or can we?

Saying yes to too many commitments can lead to overexertion and an inability to complete tasks to the best of your ability. The Obama administration learned the hard way that yes-saying can cause trouble.

According to Politifact.com, 29% of Obama’s political promises are stalled or in the works. His presidency is promising, but the over-approximation of short-term capabilities has led to a slower than expected change for the United States.

Let us use this as an opportunity to evaluate how we project goals for ourselves, and how yay-saying attitudes should be swapped for healthier, more realistic ones.

The truth is that we are capable of achieving our goals, whether they be curing the economic crisis or earning higher academic grades. Yes we can join that club, pass that test, get that acceptance letter, do that favour, or make that deadline. But perhaps not all at the same time, and perhaps some goals aren’t worth the time anyhow.

Saying yes to every request and opportunity that comes along is dangerous and unwise. You will be able to better focus your efforts and garner more overachievements than shortcomings if you kill your inner “yes-man”.

The simple plan of attack: be prioritized, be organized, and be selfish.

In prioritizing, you must decide what is most important or most valuable, and cater to that. Priority number one should always be your own health and safety. This means that if you are asked to do something and you have already taken on so much that your sleep is being deprived, don’t say yes. If you can’t find time to eat because you have too much on your plate, don’t say yes. If your responsibilities are already taking a toll on your mental health and well-being, don’t say yes. Usually following your health on the chain of priorities is your education, then extra curricular commitments and social matters, but each person will have their own list of priorities and you must decide what is most important to you. Try to keep both long and short-term goals in mind when making these decisions.

Your “yes-man” can also be overcome through organization. Sometimes yes is the answer, when you can thoroughly understand your personal capabilities and organize yourself accordingly. If you have that knowledge, you can give honest responses when asked to do something because you know of the amount of time and resources you are prepared to give. The answer can be yes with stipulations that suit your schedule, or yes because your have the time management and organization skills to take on more responsibility.

Lastly, be selfish in choosing to say no. Your life is yours alone, and you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.  With a solid list of priorities and the organizational skills to carry them out, you are fully equipped to make decisions that you feel are best. Your opinion matters most, but public opinion of you will probably rise too, when you over-achieve in a few choice aspects instead of coming short in many. Like that yay-saying presidential campaign advertised, it’s time for a change. This can happen by giving your life the focus and control that comes with saying no.