June| 2021
“Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
No. It’s a word a lot of us are familiar with but yet it’s always far away from our lips when we make decisions and choices.
From a far glance I noticed that we, you and I have something in common. It’s our abilities to influence others. The ability to influence our choices and opinions.
Let’s put it this way.
I want to get a particular bag and I have two amazing friends. Earlier, my mind was already made to get the red bag. But my friends have the ability to change my decision in seconds.
Now, let’s say friend A says the red bag won’t be classy enough to carry out while friend B says the red bag is something that she wore to a party and it didn’t really stand out. In fact it’s made with poor leather.
The deal is, they both have their opinions about the bag as do I. All three of us see the bag through different perspectives.
There’s something I find fascinating about humanity. It’s our level of comprehension and capability to choose between two possibilities or outcomes.
Back to my story, I have the choice of going with friend A’s opinion about the bag and get a different bag. Or I could listen to friend B’s experience with the bag.
Either way the choice is mine and I have a right to say No or Yes to either of my friends.
In the beginning of this article I said that, No is a word that we sometimes find at the tip of our tongues but we find it difficult when it’s time to let it free into the ears of people trying to influence our decisions.
If I tell friend A, No I don’t care if it’s classy or not, she would put up a defence and try to convince me. And if I reject friend B’s experience also, she would react and make me probably feel that my choices were poor.
Although I acknowledge and validate both friends opinions presented to me. I still have a right to say No.
What if the red bag is what makes me feel confident and comfortable with my personality? What if the red bag is what I can afford at that moment?
So I must decide if I want both opinions to sway mine, to entice and change my own opinion about the red bag.
The core of this article is that when you form your opinions, people with their own opinions will make yours seem the poor choice, the substandard one. I think it’s a way with humans.
And with time I’ve learnt to accept what others say. But in the long run, you never get to know who you are and what your personality would be comfortable with.
Sticking to the opinion makes you happy and comfortable is what I think is the best opinion to roll with.
Even if everyone is doing it a certain way wa, don’t feel burdened or forced to say Yes.
No is not a bad word. I think saying No helped me discover things I would settle for and things I would never agree with.
So don’t allow anyone make your opinions and perspectives invalidated just because it’s not the same with theirs.
After all it’s your comfort that matters not anybody else’s.
Sophia's Midnight Scribbling 
Lately, I have been feeling like my opinions aren’t so important. Thereby making my choices and desires play a second role. Thanks for this article as I realize that others will always have their own opinion, and I just need to learn to do what I am most comfortable with.
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This was exactly how I felt before writing this article. I’m glad that we learn to put ourselves first not because it’s selfish but because it’s what matters
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