I’ve talked a lot lately about the power to say no. In some of the earlier parts, I’ve given some suggestions that have worked for me. In case this is your first time reading, here again are some of the things that have helped me to say no.

– Exercise has made me think twice about eating the sweets. The amount of work it takes to burn the number of calories consumed is just not worth it.

– The simple act of saying no is a small victory, which builds on previous turndowns. It is like working out a muscle, meaning that your discipline gets stronger the more it is exercised.

– Find alternate ways to celebrate, especially when there are so many reasons to celebrate!

– Remember that temptation has a limited life span. If you can hold on long enough, you will bypass the moment.

– Don’t beat yourself up too bad if you slip. Acknowledge your mistakes and move past them. When you convince yourself that you are a failure, you will be. Convince yourself otherwise; that you do have what it takes to resist temptation.

– Get in an environment in which the temptation does not exist. Get yourself out of the high-risk zone and find that environment, or else create it.

– Take inventory of your wants and desires. Do be careful, because they can seem innocent enough, but they will trick you. If they need a change of course, do so early on. Otherwise, addictions can form and take you down a path that is hard to come back from. There is something in all of us that wants to do wrong. The more we feed that part of ourselves, the more it will grow. Instead, we must starve that part that seeks to do wrong.

– Look at some of the relationships with others close to you, besides your spouse or family member. While you add value to their life, are they reciprocating? If they are instead repeatedly detracting from your value, it’s time to take a hard look at whether you should keep them around.

– Help people, but don’t allow them to abuse you by always being on the receiving end of your generosity and never giving back in some way.

I only wish to share all this because these things have been helpful to me, not just recently but over the course of my life. Recognize your own power to say no to things in your life and even to say no to people. But still, after summarizing all these tips with the hopes of helping you, I feel there is still more to share. The reason is that sometimes, things have their grip too tightly on us that we see no way out, no escape. Powerless in our personal prisons, at times of our own making, we struggle to break ourselves free from the chains that keep us bound. The power to say no is utterly amazing. But when we just can’t seem to say no, there is still hope. It is that hope that I will share with you next!