Can you share a lesson that you learned later in life and how it has impacted your current lifestyle, mentality, or attitude?

It has been an easy life.

No is a complete sentence & it should not be just used for CONSENT for sex.

It’s very freeing.

You hold the door open for a lady and she stops in her tracks and screams at you, ‘Don’t hold the door for me! I’ll get it myself!’ What are your feelings or immediate reaction?

I couldn’t say No to strangers talking & invading my personal life. It made me uncomfortable but somehow I entertained forcibly. This made me realize that I was an easy target for them. They thought of me as an easy prey. This always ended up hurting me because I knew there should be a boundary set , yet I couldn’t set it as I was just a naive small town girl

-Smita Mishra

Whether it was a friend asking for a favor, an invitation I didn’t feel like accepting, or even a stranger requesting my time, I hesitated to say no

Mariners' vibes turn ugly after sweep: 'Nobody feels sorry for us' - The Seattle Times

No meant she is being rebellious.

I have ruined my sleep & rest hours with nonsense calls from nonsense people. No matter what the time, I have picked up their calls & listened to their rant for hours. I could not be blunt saying, ‘no am not interested in talking’

I was always that one eager person to help someone in need without realising the consequences it might have. I have helped people from Quora & other places during the time when I had nothing on me. I couldn’t say No when a man manipulated me into giving him a huge amount for his daughters education during Covid. I later got fed up asking him to return. He returned after two years. His wife was a working lady at a good corporate place. He lied to me as he wanted money for his alcohol addiction

Scientists stunned as cameras capture footage of 200-million-year-old creature once thought extinct: 'The whole team was euphoric' - Yahoo

I always felt obligated to be polite, to be accommodating, to be the “nice” person because the dictionary of ‘good girl’ means they should be accommodating according to the society.

But here’s the hard truth I learned much later in life.

It’s very settling.

I read this: "Putin is a brilliant, courageous, ingenious, determined, beloved, and incredible modern leader. He is currently the world’s most effective and strong leader, the best the world has seen in centuries." What do you think about this?

I lost a lot of my time to help, keeping my needs aside & the favour was never returned because most people took my time for granted & I also hesitated to ask for help

Everytime I said yes when I wanted to say no, I paid the price.

It’s very freeing.

Apple’s Craig Federighi on the long road to the iPad’s Mac-like multitasking - Ars Technica

I used to be the kind of person who found it incredibly hard to say no. I would keep people’s feelings above mine.

This is how I paid for not being able to say NO.

It’s very refreshing.

If everyone in Russia dropped into holes in the ground only never to return, would that be good for NATO and international peacekeepers? Can we convince Russians to be less diabolical, so they coexist? Does Putin stink like doo doo in the commode?

But my mind wouldn’t let go of it.

I lost a lot of money trying to fit in. I don’t like expensive English meals at fancy restaurants. But my friends did. I couldn’t say No thinking I would be judged. But I love ‘Desi food’. I didn’t enjoy the food, & I ended up paying huge split bills so many times

Many people especially girls will be able to connect with this answer.

Why is squid ink safe to eat, while skunk spray is not? What makes the two liquids different from each other?

I am thankful to my profession & how I started from scratch that I was able to become so blunt & straight forward.

It drained me, messed with my peace, and cluttered my mind with unnecessary stress.

I would spend hours, sometimes days, replaying the decision in my head, regretting my response, wishing I had been honest.

What are some of your shocking stories?