The "No" That Set Me Free

Dear Delyara, My boss asked me to take on another project today—the kind that would require working every weekend for a month. Usually, I would say "yes" before he even finished the sentence, desperate to prove my worth. Today, I took a breath and said, "I can't take that on right now without sacrificing the quality of my current work." He was surprised. He was even a little annoyed. But the world didn't end. I walked out of the office at 5:00 PM, and for the first time in years, I didn't feel like a servant. I felt like an adult.