Say "no to no." Is that double-talk? No, that is straight-talk. It is talk from the heart. There are times when saying no to no is the right thing to do. In life we are dealt a hand, or two, or many; hands that we did not choose or need. Again and again we are faced with no; no you can't be that, do that, or have that. God forbid that we accept or settle for the no's that are imposed upon us.

We may rightly choose to say no to no that interferes with us fulfilling our purpose in life. Indeed, if we are to be true to ourselves there are times when we must say no to no.

Also be aware of the "no" that is spelled "don't." We may be told, don't do that, don't follow your own heart, don't be your own best friend. At such times let our appropriate response be "no to don't."

Thirty years ago, and I remember it well; the first time I met the person who would become My Most Significant Other. I approached her cautiously and graciously but the request that we meet again received from her a no. Later I gave my no to her no - we met again, again and again - and that has made all the difference in my life. Because I said no to no my life would never again be the same. Since that encounter I have had many opportunities and exercised my prerogative to "say no to no." There were times had I said yes to no I would have said no to life. My ultimate commitment is to say "yes to life" my life, and "yes to now," my now. l am also committed to say no to no as often as necessary in order for me to be true to my ultimate commitment, i.e., to be true to myself. Say no to no without being overbearing, disrespectful, obstrusive or demanding. And let me add, to say no to no and not feel guilty.

____________________________                                                                  Uriah J. Fields is author of  "THE SAINT TROUBADOUR - Speaking and Singing Truth and Love." The author, a Troubadour with a philosopher's heart, writes about living victoriously now.

Copyright 2008 by Uriah J. Fields