Raise your hand if there are times when just one more request might send you over the edge. We all seem to be overscheduled, overextended and completely overbooked most of the time. Yet when someone we love needs help, we tend to say yes, rather than being realistic about our time commitments. It’s easy to overlook the power of No. “Saying no is more challenging for women because of societal pressures to be likeable,” says Chapel Hill, N.C., clinical psychologist and academic coach Mary McKinney, PhD. “Men are still seen as likeable if they’re assertive, while women are more likely to be seen as likeable if they’re compliant.”
