Today I am here to talk to you about a magical two-letter word – the word “No.” Saying no and feeling OK about it is something we all aspire to. And summertime can be a particularly frantic period as we tend to juggle lots of work and social events. Saying no is necessary just to stay afloat.

You wanna know why it’s so magical when you can say no with ease? Because when you say no to what doesn’t serve you, you say YES to yourself (and the things that serve you beautifully)! Mastering the art of saying no has been life changing for me. That is why I call it the new black (hence my favorite black blazer making an appearance in this video)!

I get it, much of the fun in life is getting stuck into things — parties, dating, working out, work itself, shopping, brunch, online research, social media … the list of activities that could fill our day is endless.

Sometimes these things are extremely useful, valuable and satisfying. Our spirit knows when this is the case, as we feel refreshed, content and rewarded. It makes us happy. Then there’s the rest of the crap we do. This “stuff” often isn’t useful or valuable, and instead of feeling satisfied, we’re left feeling neutral, indifferent, even hollow.

Here I share my 5 tips on how to say no that help you make sure you have enough time for what really matters to you. I hope these tips help you as much as they have helped me.

Now tell me, what will you say no to this week?