Dr. Gabor Maté

Because you're afraid of how the world will perceive you.

You're afraid that people will not like you.

You're afraid that people might be disappointed in you.

Where is there no that your organism wants to say, but you're not saying it?

Start with that.

Where this week did I not say no?

Where today did I not say no?

And that usually happens in two arenas of life, in personal relationships.

It happens all the time in personal relationships.

And in work.

Where there's a no that wants to be said, but you're not saying it again to you.

That the no that you're not saying is going to be a source of stress for you.

So that's the first question.

Other questions follow, but that's the first one.

Where am I not saying no?

Yeah.

Well, that small still voice that the Bible talks about, right?

And there's a related question as well, which comes later in this same exercise, you might say, which is, where am I not saying yes?

There were times in my life where I had certain creative urges or desires,

But I was too busy not saying no, that there was no space for me to say yes to what I wanted to say yes to.