Is ‘No’ such a bad word? Very much so it seems. A ‘No’ is more often than not taken as an outright rejection, a negative response or even the mark of a lazy ass. A ‘No’ is denial of service, frowned upon in business and something you never say to your boss or clients or parents or teacher or spouse. If fact, it’s a big ‘No-no’ to say ‘No’ to pretty much anyone you come into contact with; it’s considered rude, obnoxious and self-serving. I wonder why the word even exists since it’s so disliked.
Please forgive me if you feel that I am rambling, but is it really not-so-nice to say ‘No’? Are there instances where a ‘No’ can be a good thing? There sure are:
When trying to quit
Saying ‘No’ should be an addict’s mantra. Be it a recovering alcoholic or a credit card totting shop-a-holic; saying ‘No’ keeps them clean. A ‘Yes’ in this instance could ruin lives and destroy families, to say the least.
When pressured to choose
We’ve all gone through this. A friend whom we look up to, that tries to lead us into temptation. Be it that guy who gave us our first smoke, or the dude we shared a joint with; saying a simple ‘No’ was all it needed.
When quality needs to be maintained
If saying ‘yes’ means quality has to suffer, then you might as well say ‘No’. When there is a bottleneck tensions rise, nerves fray and minds clouds. When there’s just too much to do, it is respectable to say ‘No’. You may lose a few bucks, but you gain a glowing reputation.
And how does all this relate to advertising you ask? Absolutely nothing, yes, that’s right NO-thing.