A personal story about people-pleasing, guilt, and finally choosing myself Why being “nice” is often fear in disguise Press enter or click to view image in full size NO without guilt — Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash How often have you found yourself saying yes, and then immediately wanting to punch yourself in the face — not in a joking way, but actually standing in front of the mirror questioning why you did that? Well, I want to talk about that exact moment — when you say yes, even though a simple no could have saved you. So recently, I was asked to pet-sit a fish. Now mind you, this request was also put in front of another person, and they said no, clearly stating their reason. But me being that person who has always felt that saying yes or helping others would make people want to be around me (oh, what a fool I’ve been for so many years) — anyway, skipping that for a bit, but hold on to this fish in the bowl. What actually happens when you say yes?…