No

This tiny word (feel free to use non, nej, nein, nee, não or whichever works best for you) can be our best defense against the insidious problem of burnout.

Burnout is a fire - and like a real flame, it affects others besides ourselves.

The people we rely on at work and those we love the most can get burnt too.

As I’ve talked about before, time for ourselves is as valuable as any strategic meeting. As anything period, really.

So use the power of “no” to create a little more space in your life.

No is a muscle we need to train like any other. It may feel uncomfortable at the beginning, but the more we do it, the stronger it becomes.

No is showing respect for ourselves - and respect for others, since it allows us to be our best selves when we do say yes.

If you’re a fan of the great Mel Brooks, you might remember his 1976 classic “Silent Movie.”

There’s only one word spoken in the film, and it being the humor of Mel Brooks, it’s by Marcel Marceu.

The word?

“Non!”

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