The Story of “No”

The word “no” is hard for me to accept. I go back in my memory to when I was 8 years old. My cousin took me to walk along the corniche, and I asked him to buy me chocolate. He said no. I don’t remember exactly how he said it or how he refused my request, but what I remember very clearly is that I started crying loudly. He felt embarrassed because we were on the street and didn’t know how to handle me.

Now I laugh when I remember that situation—my reaction didn’t really call for crying—and what I still remember is that I didn’t get the chocolate 😁

I connect that moment with the fact that I don’t like hearing the word “no.” I started avoiding asking people for anything unless it was absolutely necessary, just so I wouldn’t hear “no” or have my request rejected.

And if I can do something myself or get what I want on my own, I prefer to do it instead of asking someone else. The positive side is that I learned independence and not to rely on others in my personal matters, and this gives a girl strength and confidence.

But on another level, rejection is hard for me to accept—I feel it deeply. I also noticed that rejection gives me strong determination to achieve what I want.

However, sometimes persistence can be annoying, so I learned to change my approach to be a bit smoother. The same applies to things I don’t succeed in the first time—I keep trying until I get them right. I have a lot of patience with things and it’s hard for me to give up. This is also a positive trait.

In the end, the word “no” and rejection became a motivation for me to achieve my goals.

The word “no” became: no to giving up.