Stop being a people pleaser

I'm a recovering people-pleaser and I know the recovery will take a lifetime. Why do we care about pleasing other people so much? In short, we want to be liked. We want to be accepted. And we don't want other people to think badly of us. It's a vicious, never-ending way of life, because people are always going to ask things of us. Always. "Could you babysit Friday night?" "Do you want to make cookies for the school bake sale?"

Martha Beck said something wonderful that struck a chord with me a long time ago: "When it comes to saying yes or no, choose the answer that feels like freedom." If you're resentful, overscheduled and stuck driving a friend to the airport on a Sunday morning when you'd really love to be sleeping in instead, you don't feel very free.

And I get ya ... and I've got ya! Here's how you can stop being such a people-pleaser (and still be nice):