Learn to say "NO"!

After a crazy, busy, exhausting week I find myself on this Sunday morning wanting to do NOTHING! 

Wed- prepare for house guest and pick up at the airport
Thurs- taught 2 classes, delivered cupcakes to school and went out for my sons' birthday dinner celebration
Fri- Lunch with a friend at 11:30am, 3 hours of Zumba to fight Diabetes on Friday night
Sat- CXWORX launch on Sat am which required a LOT of choreography studying, a private Zumbatomic birthday party for a precious 9 year old girl on Saturday afternoon... AND I hosted my twin boys' sleepover birthday party Sat night

I look back on the stress, lack of sleep, and shortness of temper and find thoughts in my "think cloud" consisting of "Why do I do this to myself?"  I think I can do it all, but really, it wears on me and my family suffers, the ones that mean the most to me.  A dear friend of mine told me once, "Every time you say yes to someone, you are saying 'no' to your family.  This is a good lesson to learn, if I could just apply it!  

In an article by Power to Change ministries they state:
"There’s a simple way to sum up the fall out of excessive busyness. The things that are important — our health, our souls, our relationships — are put aside for what is immediate and urgent. The things that demand our attention NOW receive more attention than the things that matter most to us. Demanding people, last minute requests, intrusive phone calls, guilt-laden responses to others’ appeals keep us constantly reacting and concentrating on surviving rather than truly living."  (Read more of the article at Tips for Women Who Juggle too Much)

What do I really want?  To survive?  Or to LIVE!  I want to live!  But... I want to live life at it's fullest why helping others.  The balancing act is hard.  Bottom line is I don't need to put others needs in front of my own family's needs and my own person well being. 

In summary, from the above article "Saying no is often a matter of passing by the good for the sake of the best. It’s also a matter of admitting that we’re not indispensable and that others can do things for themselves."  

Easy to agree, but difficult to follow.  Who is with me for trying to say "NO" every once in awhile?  

G