What The Word “No” Really Means

No means no when you are at risk of hurting someone emotionally or
physically. No means no when God says no. But when it comes to 
following your dreams and laying down  ground work and foundations to
build your future on, “no ” simply means “not yet”. No means try a
little harder. No means re-organize  and re-work your strategy. When it
comes to fighting for what matters to you, whether that be your career, a
loved one struggling with addiction, finding “the one”, or adding a
plus one to your family, no means don’t give up.

Let’s be real, nothing worth having is going to just fall into your
lap because you will it to do so. You gotta get up, get out, pound the
pavement, get a little dirt under your nails, and of course, hear a few
nos.  When you hear the word no, stop for a moment, pray about it, make
sure that the thing you are pursuing is in line with what God has
created you for, and if his answer is yes, consider the nos heard from
others as mere check points along your journey to ensure that you are
aligned with your purpose in this world.

The way I see it is, nobody ever goes through their life not hearing
no from someone at some point and time. However, if those people just
shrugged and sat on their hands waiting for things to be handed to them
or gave up, we wouldn’t have platinum recording artist Beyonce, literary
treasure Maya Angelou, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, and first black
president Barack Obama. I consider myself to be no different. Neither
should you! We were created and are destined for greatness. No comes in
many forms: break-ups, rejection letters, nay-sayers, and stumbling
blocks to name a few, but these are all things that we can take from to
gain personal strength and awareness and then use as fuel to push on to
get to the next thing.  Life is about challenges. Don’t confuse people’s
perceptual limitations as truth. Live your life loudly, with love,
confidence and conviction. Don’t be afraid to be aggressive, and fight 
tooth and nail for what you want. If you knock and nobody answers, kick
the door down! If you don’t have enough strength to kick the door down
at the moment, find a window or a chimney. LOL! Get resourceful and get
back in the game. You are Shatterproof. Nobody can stop you from
achieving any goals or aspirations but you. Take it from someone who
took the same Algebra class three semesters in a row just to graduate
college and failed an entrance exam 4 times before getting the needed
score to pass. I’m better for it and more determined than I was back
then because I know I have enough fight in me to do whatever it takes to
make things happen for myself….even if it’s not in my own time. Well,
there you have it, the real meaning of no! Chins up, heels on, go chase
your dreams and make them count. Continue to be Shatterproof.