Are you the type of person who, when it comes right down to decision making time, pushes aside your own desires and needs to meet everyone else’s? Do others say you’re you just too damn nice?“Yes Men” are in abundance just as much as women who can’t say ‘no’, and this may be you. Being unable to say ‘no’ can happen to you anywhere: at home, at work, with your family or friends.The basic idea is this: you succumb to the fear of not saying ‘no’ by saying ‘yes’ when you don’t really want to. Saying ‘yes’ is easier, and allows you to not deal with the fear of saying ‘no’.By saying ‘yes’ all of the time to people and situations that we really don’t want to, we collude with our fear of being abandoned and rejected by others. When we say ‘yes’ when we don’t mean to, when we’re doing what others want us to do, we lose our spines by not standing up for ourselves. By being “yes men,” we become “less men.”Learning to take a stance and say ‘no’ is important for our growth as men, and as people, partners, employees, sons, etc. To learn to assert oneself and to understand that saying ‘no’ is actually practicing self-care, we start to look at our dilemma through a more positive lens. To continue to say ‘yes’ when you don’t mean it, it’s not honoring yourself.When we stay true to ourselves, we can compassionately learn the difference between what we want, which is good for us, and what we don’t want, and how to communicate to others that difference. When we’re confused about what we want, we allow others the opportunity to exploit that indecision, and then we give up and hand over our power to others.When we know what we want, others respond accordingly. I know we fear taking a stand, but it actually works in reverse. People and situations bend towards us, as opposed to other way, when we know what we want, communicate it and act upon it. Taking stand won’t kill anyone, so, as the mystic Bob Marley once said: “Get up, stand up. Stand up for your rights.” I’m sure ol’ Bob would support your efforts. If you’re interested in learning more about the Men’s or Nice Guy counseling , or if counseling might be right for you, please feel free to contact me directly or visit our Men’s counseling page for detail.