No is an important word to keep in mind.

Nowadays, ‘no’ has gained a bad reputation; it’s often viewed as a dirty word, a sign of lack of motivation and productivity and a reason to be judged.

But this is wrong and unfair.

You shouldn’t fall for the pressure to say yes all the time. It’s easy to always say yes because of the pressure to not let anyone down or be the person that doesn’t deliver. However, this isn’t how you should think about it.

Let me break it down for you simply.

You are not saying no. You are saying no for now so you can then say yes to better and brighter things in the long term. When you are assessing your schedule and calendar, you should ask yourself: what can I say no to in order to give a stronger yes to the things that matter more and will move me forward in my business and my life?

If you constantly say yes to everything, you will end up chasing after so many different avenues that you don’t master any, instead of focusing on leveraging the one that will benefit you most until the end.

The habit of constantly saying yes won’t only come in the way of your progression, it will also negatively impact your mental, physical and spiritual health.

Here are four reasons to always keep in mind when assessing your commitments and you feel like saying no:

1. You don’t owe anybody anything

You are not obligated to anyone but yourself, not to your boss nor to your partner. You may have dedicated a portion of your time to your boss and a portion of your life to your partner, but at the end of day, you are not subject to their every whim and you have the right to say no and pursue your own opportunities which will increase how fulfilled you feel.

2. You can’t control everybody’s opinion of you

You shouldn’t cave to the pressure of people’s expectations and judgements because they will judge you no matter what you do so might as well be doing what you want and what will make you grow.

3. You are the only one who can identify your priorities

You’re the only one who knows what matters to you the most and if you find something that doesn’t align with these priorities, don’t hesitate to stay no. You should leverage the opportunities that will make you the happiest and help you evolve in the direction you want to go in.

4. You are the one who will be affected

You‘re the one who will be the most impacted by the decisions you make. You’re the one who’s going to face the direct consequences whether personally or professionally, mentally or physically. You should remember this before committing to anything that may backfire on you.

Overall, you should keep your eye on the long-term prize and not let yourself be clouded by short-term pressures. It may be hard but it’s important for your personal and professional growth to break the habit of constantly saying yes.