Once I went for a two-day trip with my friends. We were 8 of us, so we rented a van for ourselves for the entire duration, so that we could cover more places easily. We all were very excited for the day. We packed all our stuffs that we thought we might require. The path to the destination was said to be mesmerising, so each of us packed our cameras to capture loads of photos of the entire trip.

Soon the most awaited day arrived. We were to leave early in the morning and gathered around our vehicle right at 5 in the morning. None of us were able to sleep that night due to excitement. I could even feel butterflies in my stomach.

The driver informed us that there was a forecast of rain that day, so it would be better to adjust our luggage inside instead of tying it on the roof of the van. We had no other option but to agree. We were supposed to sit in the following order — 1 beside the driver’s seat, 3 on the seat behind the driver’s row and the remaining 4 at the back (2 on each side facing each other). So some of our luggage was dumped on the floor of the front seats, but majority was dumped on the floor of the backseat (as it was more spacious).

So, as decided, till we arrived at our first stop, which was 4 hours from our current location, I agreed to sit at the backseat along with 3 others. We were supposed to have our breakfast there and then continue with our journey forward. There, those who wanted to exchange their seats could do so.

Finally we hit the road. After driving for 1 hour or so, we got to see picturesque view of the road ahead, with mountains on one side, and the river on the other. It was seriously breath-taking. I tried taking few pictures, but as the window was behind me, I had to turn around to capture some. The space, already being restricted by that entire luggage, was making it very difficult and gave me a backache. So, I decided to collect the pictures captured by my friends instead and convinced myself that I would capture some amazing pictures later when I got to sit in the front.

Soon, we arrived at the first stop and finally we were able to stretch our legs. There we had some amazing fulfilling breakfast and were again ready to proceed with our trip. This time the 4 of us, who were sitting at the back, got the front seats and the others moved to our seats. I was happy, as finally I could capture some good shots to share with my family. Suddenly, just after half an hour of travelling further, one of my friends, now sitting at the backseat, asked the driver to stop. She complained that she has motion sickness and so would have to sit in the front by the window. Since other were not ready to sacrifice their seats, I agreed to give her mine and move back again, with the condition that the rest of us would keep shuffling our places at different intervals.

After travelling for 2 hours, I asked if someone was willing to exchange their place with me, but none agreed. They pleaded me to sit till we stopped for lunch and then they would reshuffle. I couldn’t say no to my friends, so I agreed. I kept my camera inside.

After another 3 long hours, we took another break for a late lunch. Now we were just 2 hours away from our destination. So, not wanting to waste much time, we quickly had our lunch and proceeded to our van. By the time I reached the van, others had already taken up the best seats leaving the back one for me. I tried to persuade one of them to exchange seats, but they said it’s just 2 hours more, and so to adjust once more. Again, disheartened, I agreed.

Soon we reached our destination, but all my excitement had vanished by then. During the rest of our trip, I just remained silent and let others have their way. I was way too hurt by the whole incident. On our way back, I voluntarily sat at the backseat for the entire duration, and no one seemed to care.

What do you think, whose fault was it? They were mean and selfish, you would all agree. But, read the story once more. Wasn’t I as much at fault as them? Didn’t I let them take me for granted? Had I been able to hold my stand and not be pleaded by them every time, then I would have had an amazing time with loads of good memories captured as well. It was just because I couldn’t say ‘No’.

If a person really cares for you, they will respect it when you say ‘No’ for something. If they don’t, then we don’t need to care about what they will think anyways.

We can’t change what someone thinks about us, what we can instead do is, respect ourselves and give more importance to ourselves, than we give to others. We need to say ‘No’ when we don’t wish to do a thing.

This is very well stated in the below quote:

So, say ‘No’ when required. You don’t need to feel guilty for saying ‘No’.