You’re tired of saying yes when you don’t really want to.

Have you noticed how the urgent stuff seems to eclipse your goals and dreams?

Silently, without you even noticing, commitments — both exciting and mundane — end up on your plate. Piles appear almost spontaneously in areas you’d rather have clear. You feel like you’re running at full capacity most of the time.

Even though you’re dissatisfied, you can’t shake the guilt and dread that comes from saying no to those in your circle. When those beloved people are used to you saying yes, they don’t even bother asking anymore.

You’re tired of feeling frustrated and resentful.

But how do you stop? Like a lot of stressed-out, overwhelmed people, you’ve tried ignoring your needs — which works for a little while. You’ve tried going along even when you don’t want to. You’ve tried calendars and organizers to become more efficient, but you still can’t fit everything in.

Of course you want to say yes.

Of course you want to grow and learn and act on ideas and be helpful. Who wouldn’t?

Here’s the thing: when you say yes by default, you overload and overwhelm yourself — and you don’t get what you wanted from saying yes in the first place. You don’t get to enjoy it.

There’s nothing wrong with you for saying yes, yet maybe — just perhaps — you’d just like to find a saner way to do it.

Maybe you’d like to start enjoying the things you say yes to.

Believe it or not, there is a sweet spot. You can reach a place where you have just the right amount of the right things. When you fill your space and life with what’s satisfying, suddenly your desire to say yes to everything drops away. Saying no gets a lot easier.

It’s possible.

From two gals who speak from experience.

This collaboration was born in the moments when Jen Hofmann and Cairene MacDonald finally met in person for the first time. Once we got through the agenda of our mutual admiration society, we enthusiastically agreed we should do something together.

That was a year ago. Not because we’re disorganized procrastinators, but because we both understand our limits and knew how to say no (or rather yes, but not right this second). Jen speaking: It took me my whole life to learn it was okay to say this.

How to Say No and Feel Good About it

Learn to say no (and yes!) without losing your sense of safety, belonging and integrity.

In this 4-week workshop, we’ll be sharing everything we know about saying no with confidence and positive outcomes.

You’ll find…

• Loving acceptance for the part of you that wants it all right this minute!
• Relief from frustration and overwhelm
• Permission to claim your space
• Encouragement to walk into unknown territory
• Clarity of your intention and desired outcome
• Healthier boundaries in relationships

And explore ways to…

• Remember your genuine wants so you know what to say yes to
• Manage guilt
• Know what choices will actually get you what you want
• Choose with confidence
• Accept the limits of your capacity in your inner and outer spaces
• Grieve and release what you want to say yes to, but can’t right now

Brought to you by Jennifer Hofmann and Cairene MacDonald

Cairene MacDonald

(written by Jen)

Okay, I confess: I’ve been a Cairene MacDonald fan for quite some time. Admirer? Groupie? When I finally met her in person, I was star-struck! Should I ask for her autograph??

I’ll tell you though, when it comes to collaborations, I’m quite picky about who I work with. There are a lot of “systems people” out there whose approaches violate my compassionate sensibilities — Cairene isn’t one of them. The thing I admire most is her ability to see through the problem, straight to the heart of it — and then articulate it so clearly that suddenly everything makes sense. Completely judgment-free.

Cairene is a rare gem of honesty, compassion, wisdom, and humor all wrapped into one. I’m so excited we’re putting our gifts together!

Jen Hofmann

(written by Cairene)

I was feeling like a lonely voice in the wilderness until I stumbled on Jen Hofmann and her work. Finally! Someone who saw the world of organizing oneself through the same lens! My professional crush was instant and gushing.

Because Jen gets it. It’s about supporting our brains and hearts just as they are, not squishing them into some system for the sake of efficiency. It’s about using organization to love yourself up. Anytime anyone so much as mentions wanting to make changes to their surroundings, I send them to Jen without hesitation. I know they will not only be cared for with kindness and humor, their outer (and inner) spaces will be transformed in ways that bring out their very best.

I am delighted we have become colleagues and friends – and I am thrilled to bring our combined superpowers to the cause of no!

What we’ll explore:

Part One: Why we say yes when we’d rather say no

• Shoulds and assumptions
• What will people think of me?
• Priorities
• Capacity and what is enough
• What satisfies me?

Part Two: How to say no and feel good about it

• Addressing the whys
• Techniques for saying no
• Practice saying no

Part Three: Refining the practice

• Saying yes to what matters
• Apply what you’ve learned to the holiday season

Class details:

How to Say No is a 1-month teleclass with a bonus followup class.

We’ll meet on Fridays at 10am Pacific/1pm Eastern

Dates: October 22 & 29, November 12, 2010 — and bonus class on January 7, 2011

Cost:

$147 per person

The deadline to register is October 15 20, 2010 [extended!]. The class size is limited to 20 participants.

Guarantee:

Learning to say no is a powerful topic and it’s important to us that you get what you need. If you attend the first class and feel that it isn’t right for you for any reason, we’ll refund any pre-paid fees completely.

No can be a yes if you know how to use it. Come learn how!

Are you ready to say yes?

Clicking the YES! button will take you to Cairene’s site, Third Hand Works where you can pay for the class. Your tuition will be processed through PayPal, but you don’t need to have a PayPal account to make your payment. Just select the credit card option when you check out.

Once you register, you’ll get a receipt in your email box, plus a confirmation email explaining how to prepare for the class. We’ll also be in touch the week before the class with more details.