Nope. No. Hard Pass. Decline. Oh, heck no. 👎

"No" can be the hardest word to say in the English language.

As the world is opening back up, we’re getting more social again. More invites. More people-ing. More requests. Thing is,what may have worked for you before might not have a place in your life anymore. This month, I’m giving you 10 ways to decline, say “no”, hard pass, duck out and communicate your nope with grace. 

Why is No such a struggle?

We want to be nice. We want to be a good sport. We don’t want to miss out. We feel obligated. We’re pressured. We owe it to someone. We are required to. Our boss said so. Our partner will get pissed. We’ll look like a slacker. We did it last year. 

And still, we need to decline. 

So, today I offer you 10 options for the Graceful Decline because sometimes getting a script down can be a big help. Practice with your cat. Practice with your plants. Practice on the stuff you really really really don’t want to touch with a 20 foot pole. Because having the power of saying “no” gives us so much more freedom and ease.

10 Graceful Ways to Decline

🚫 Thanks for the invitation, we won’t be able to attend. Enjoy the BBQ (and hopefully we can make it another time.)

🚫 I won’t be able to. I imagine this is a priority for you and at this time I wouldn't have the bandwidth to do it justice. 

🚫 Unfortunately, no. It would be beyond my capacity to do that right now.

🚫 No, that’s beyond what we originally scoped/discussed/agreed on.

🚫 No, I don’t feel comfortable committing to that deadline / expense / event.

🚫 Ah, that sounds tempting but we’ll have to pass. It’s just not possible right now.

🚫 I apologize. I’ve overcommitted. It turns out I need to decline this right now. If something changes I’ll let you know. 

🚫 Although it's true that I used to really enjoy [snake wrangling], it’s not really part of my life/job anymore. Sending my regrets. 

🚫 That sounds like a difficult situation. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help right now. Good luck. 

🚫 No.  (optional…”But thanks”.)

Did any of these help some declines you're planning?
I’d love to hear! Drop me an email with you favorite.

🙅🏽‍♂️ Brain Food 🙅🏼‍♀️

Need more support? I bought this. Some days it helps.

Make “no” as easy as pushing a button.