My “No”vember

My default answer to everything is “yes.” I am notorious for double-sometimes-triple-booking myself. Not because I am scattered (well mostly not because of that), but because I don’t want to say “no.” If I have to go back and say “I’m sorry but I didn’t realize I had a conflict,” that is somehow better in my mind because I said “yes” first.

I KNOW I can’t do it all and I KNOW that allowing other people’s priorities to take precedence over mine can have detrimental consequences, so on this ubiquitous topic, I have nothing to add. But I AM going to do something about it personally. 

I am declaring this month my “NO”vember.

As the holiday season tempts me like a gingerbread cookie to DO MORE, I will stand in holy opposition to the frenetic pace and spend more time connecting with my family and my God. I am adding nothing, NOT.ONE.THING. to my calendar or my to-do list in the month of November. This may seem an extreme and unbalanced approach, but I need to go completely cold-turkey (Thanksgiving pun intended) for my sanity and my health. Our family already celebrates two birthdays in November and another three days after Christmas. Add on the annual holiday commitments and we are too tired and stressed to enjoy the most important parts of this joyous time of year. 

I am tired of settling for busy rather than settling into my soul. I am tired of trying to do more instead of doing things that are worth more. I want this “No”vember to be a turning point, a change in season, like the leaves falling off the tree allowing new buds in spring. I want my life, not my schedule, to be full.

Do you find yourself overcommitted at the holidays? Is it difficult for you to say “no”? Would you consider doing a “No”vember, too?