Rejection sucks—you might as well be yourself early enough.

It’s better to be rejected for who you are than accepted for who you’re not.

We spend so much of life editing ourselves to be liked.

Saying yes when we mean no. Shrinking our needs to make others comfortable. All in hopes that we’ll be accepted.

But the cost is high—we end up consuming other people’s expectations instead of creating space for who we really are. Rejection sucks, but regret sucks more. The earlier you’re honest, the less of yourself you lose.

Think about it, one of the earliest skills we’re taught as kids is how to say no.

• “Don’t say yes when you mean no.”

• “Reject gifts and advances from strangers.”

• “Speak up if something feels wrong.”

It’s easier for some because they were tight and had boundaries early enough, while some found it harder because they were the chilled and social ones.

But then, it all sounds simple—until you grow up and become someone old enough to use your own judgment. As adults, we start saying yes to things that quietly destroy us—all in the name of being nice.

Saying no becomes hard. Especially to people you care about.

So, you make exceptions.

You bend your own rules for those you love.
You give more than you should.
You do things you swore you never would.

Not because you’re weak, but because you’re human.

The problem? Relationships are rarely mutual.

You treat them like a priority.
They treat you like an option.

You're writing them into your future.
They're barely including you in their present.

You lose sleep worrying about them.
They sleep just fine not thinking about you.

You rehearse your words.
They barely listen.

And what happens when you keep saying yes when you mean no?

You start to consume their needs, their expectations and their demands—while suppressing your true self.
You hope your sacrifices will earn you love, loyalty, or bare-minimum effort.

But they don’t.

When the rejection finally comes, it’s brutal. Not just because you’re hurt—but because you lost yourself in the process.

That’s the lesson:

It’s better to be rejected for who you are than accepted for who you’re not.

Every time I liked someone more than I liked myself, I lost clarity.

I said yes more often. Gave more than I received.
And in the end, they left easily—because they never truly invested anything.

At a point, your inability to say no is actually a selfish trap because you don’t get to express yourself fully, hoping to avoid any conflict or confrontation with them.

The other party only appears to make an effort when they have a request coming at the end, which you earlier pretended not to mind (emotionally clouded judgment).

When you finally speak your truth, they’re confused.
They thought the version of you who always said “yes” was real.
They didn’t realize you were just afraid to lose them.

Sadly, sometimes you didn’t even expect much but only expected the barest minimum (poor judgment again).

So here’s the truth I learned the hard way:
Rejection sucks. But regret sucks more.

The goal isn’t to become heartless. It’s to stop living reactively - always bending, breaking, and consuming other people’s expectations. The more honest you are with yourself and others, the more space you create for real connection. That’s the essence of creating more and consuming less.

Create a life where you can say no without guilt.
Create relationships where you don’t have to shrink yourself to be loved.
Create the courage to be disliked — because that’s the only path to real respect.

Say no more often.
Be yourself earlier.

It hurts less.