How I Finally Learned How to Say ‘No’ (and How You Can, Too)

Nine phrases to try for yourself

Julio Vincent Gambuto
Forge
Published in
6 min readMar 18, 2021

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Photo: Carol Yepes/Getty Images

I have finally learned how to say “no.” I am 43. It’s taken 25 years of my adult life to get comfortable with these two tiny letters. Why? Three reasons, the combination of which is the perfect storm for someone like me: 1) I am a people pleaser; 2) it’s human nature to be really needy and demanding, even…

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Julio Vincent Gambuto
Forge
Writer for

Author + Moviemaker // Happiness in a fucked-up modern world // New book from Avid Reader Press (Simon & Schuster) // Audie Finalist // SXSW // juliovincent.com