false

No. It is easily one of the first words that children learn as they reach the tender age of language absorption, and some would argue it is a favourite word of the terrible twos. For many circumstances, it is the most prevalent utterance in their small yet impressive vocabulary with the force of an entire herd of elephants encompassed in a body as small as a mouse in comparison. But as the traces of innocence and lack of inhibition are slowly striped away from children as societal values and judgements cloud their free and unrestricted mind, the word no falls from their tongues to be replaced with an automatic and dishonest yes.

The detrimental effect on our confidence to utilise the word continues well into adulthood where for a plethora of reasons, we seldom employ it even when we want to with all our being. Our inhibitions are raised like the Great Wall of China and neither fly nor men can impetrate it to allow us to directly respond in an expression of honesty; no.

The inability and condemnation that one has when saying no is a symptom of something called “the disease to please,” which is so widespread it is practically an epidemic of the entire Earth. This disease causes us to constantly agree to things in order to please others even if for most accounts, the agreed generally displeases us. A sense of guilt settles over us when we do say no, that we largely retract our no to replace it with an instantaneous yes, turning our backs against our own body, mind and soul, not only to please others but to quiet the voice in our head that is chiming insecure words calling us a bad person for saying no. Saying no does a disservice to yourself, your confidence and also those you are saying yes to; obligations that you can’t fulfil only contributes to the level of stress squeezing the life out of your heart and disappointment in those around you.

Insecurity and self-consciousness is a propaganda that spreads faster than the news in Chinese Whispers and the second we catch the tail-end of an insult to our personality and self, it sticks with us until we are placed six feet under breathing our last breath.

The very self-condemning nature of humans baffles the majority of us and yet no one can escape the damaging words we tell ourselves late at night making us feel like Hitler after the Holocaust.

We’re the victim of our own self-depreciation and belittling ourselves so that we innately put others before ourselves, sometimes at our own expense…

"When you say yes to others, make sure you're not saying no to yourself." ~ Paulo Coelho