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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of IHeart Radio.

Good morning.

This is Laura.

Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

Today's tip is that when you are asked to do something that isn't ideal for you,

and you don't want to just say no, consider proposing an alternative.

Saying, how about this instead?

Can often accomplish whatever the original request was, but in a way that you will be much

happier with.

So sometimes we all receive requests that are appealing on some level, but don't work on another.

You might be invited for lunch on a day you know work will be incredibly busy,

or to go with a friend to get a pedicure, but you don't like anyone touching your feet. You want

the time with the friends, but not in a pedicure chair. Or maybe you are asked to serve on the

gala committee for a non-profit you really do care about, and you want to support

the nonprofit, but not in that way. I know we have all been taught that no is a complete sentence,

but no is not necessarily fun to say or hear, especially if you do want to preserve or strengthen

the relationship. The good news is that even if you can't say yes, you might not need to say no.

Sometimes it's nicer to ask, how about this instead?

Maybe a milestone birthday is coming up and you really don't want any more candles or silly t-shirts making jokes about turning

40 or 50 or whatever it is. You could say, no gifts, please, but people will probably bring a gift

...