How did I get to be such a doormat? When did I develop such a deep-rooted fear of offending others? What caused me to place other people's needs ahead of my own? What did I think would happen if (horror of horrors) I were to actually displease someone?

I've come to understand that language impacts thought, and vice versa. Without owning the word "no," and all the other language under what I like to think of as the "No Umbrella," I was denying myself the conviction and power that comes with it.

We all know that we need to say "no" about 1,000 times more than we say "yes." But we don't. And we pay the price, with over-cluttered calendars, over-saturated psyches, chronically-elevated stress hormones, and tightly-clenched shoulders that never quite sink away from our earlobes.

A psychologist probably would have had no problem putting two and two together, but it took me a little longer to come to a conclusion on my own. A back bend is the physical manifestation of opening up, otherwise known as my least favorite activity.

The ability to be assertive and say "no" is a communication skill we all learn at a very young age. If you're a parent, you know better than anyone that once this word enters a child's vocabulary it's used very often. However, as an adult, "no" is often much more difficult to say.

By Art Markman for YouBeauty When you look at the other people in your life, there are lots of ways that you are the same. You speak the same langu...

No! It's a pretty scary word, right? It certainly is for me. It's like a well-placed "boo!" bursting through the darkness from an unseen corner. In fact, I find "no" so scary that that I often have difficulty saying it, and that's just where my problem begins.

By Kate Lowenstein Picture yourself in the following situations: Your boss wants you to stay late on Friday -- your long-planned date night. ...

Let's start using one of the most valuable words in the world: NO.

I've begun using the most extraordinary and simple phrase. It is giving me great peace and a sense of empowerment. It is simply, "I don't want to."