The Joy of Saying No: A Simple Plan to Stop People Pleasing, Reclaim Boundaries, and Say Yes to the Life You Want

Are you still playing a role you learned in childhood to please others, such as the Good Girl/Boy, the Overachiever, or the Helper? Though these kinds of roles may have gained us attention and affection, they prohibited us from becoming our true selves.

People-pleasing—putting others ahead of ourselves to avoid something negative or to get something we want or need—runs rampant in our society. Saying yes when we should say no leaves us stuck in frustrating patterns. And when we don’t say yes...