How to Say No Without Feeling Guilty: And Say Yes to More Time, More Joy, and What Matters Most to You

Rating:
Summary: Yes or No Quiz
Review: Here's a simple quiz to determine if this book is for you. Answer Yes or No to the following 2 questions, which are situations used in the book.

Question #1 - You are asked to go out on a date with someone that you find unattractive and do not wish to go out with them. You should not just tell them No, but also tell them that you are seeing someone else to show "mercy" on them? Yes or No (The book refers to this as a "face savings" technique.)

Question #2 - Your 6 year old child likes chocolate covered cereal, but you want them to eat something more nutritious. When at the grocery store with your child you should avoid the cereal isle and come back to get cereal another time, thus avoiding the need to say no? Yes or No (The book refers to this as a "prevention" technique.)

If you answered Yes to either question, you will probably agree with the suggestions in this book. However, you are lacking a moral compass and/or are so spineless that a 6 year old can walk all over you. Face the fact that there probably isn't any book that will help you, and this one will only continue to feed your lack of character and self confidence.

If you answered No to both questions, you know more about "saying no" than you can get from this book. Buying this book would only infuriate you as it is filled with excuses, trickery and deceptions. All of which lead to the guilt that the book is supposed to help you avoid.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent advice for anyone who wants more from life!
Review: I found this book to be an insightful guide to getting more of what you really want in life in a way that reinforces your commitment to yourself. The authors suggestions are thoughtful and well presented. The section on identifing and manifesting what it is you really want, gives the reader a powerful set of tools that can be used in many aspects of life. With practice and patience, I believe that learning to say no at the appropriate times can be a self satisfying experience. There is a plethra of humor along with genuine sensitivity in dealing with this subject matter in many situations. I would recommend this to people from all different walks of life. If you are able to make use of even one of the suggestions in this book, you will have opened yourself up a little more to finding what truly makes you happy and making the time for it in your life. Take what you need and leave the rest. This book is full of great ideas and is one to refer to again and again!

Rating:
Summary: You Can't Afford to Say No to this Book
Review: I never thought I had a hard time saying "no" and actually thought I was good at setting boundaries until I picked up "How to Say No Without Feeling Guilty". I quickly discovered how much of my time and myself I had been handing out to people because I assumed that's what I had to do to go along with the program. In this wonderful book, Patti Breitman and Connie Hatch lay out a new program - a powerful, gentle and intellegent approach to simply saying no. A fun, insightful and compassionate read.

Rating:
Summary: Say Yes to More Time, More Joy, & What Matters Most
Review: I saw Patti Breitman speak at a bookstore on her publicity tour and I was very impressed with her sincerity, good will and sense of humour. She seems to care about the world and about the people she serves. The part of her book that I was most moved by was when she talked about how to follow the part of you deep inside that wants to fulfill your true desires, rather than stay stuck in obligations. As a therapist I have had many opportunities to help my clients with suggesstions from How to Say No without Feeling Guilty--which seems to be a universal problem. I was glad to see that Patti Breitman also saw that people need to go beyond the NOS to YESES, and I was very impressed with her choice when she recommended the book As the Romans Do by Alan Epstein. He is an author that followed his dreams and moved to Rome with his family and wrote this truly delightful, inspirational book and it is something I think everyone should read, even if they have no intention of going to Rome. It certainly has made me think about my choices and how I want to live my life day to day.

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Summary: This book set me free
Review: Thank you, Patti Breitman and Connie Hatch, for giving me the techniques to say no and have more control over my life. Your techniques have given me more time, more space, more efficiency. And your suggestions are simple and non-affected. I didn't have to learn a "system"; I just got to pick from some excellent ideas that work for me.