“The key lies in saying ‘I don’t’ instead of ‘I can’t.’ Researchers found that volunteers who said ‘I don’t skip exercise’ instead of ‘I can’t skip exercise’ worked out more often.”
It’s important to learn to say no to things, but how you say no can be just as important.
This Mental Floss article suggests saying ‘I don’t’ is more powerful and effective than saying ‘I can’t’ when you decline to do something.
That’s because ‘I don’t’ serves as self-affirmation of your personal willpower and leads to feelings of empowerment.