Naysaying is devaluing or rejecting a suggestion without evaluating it fairly. “Nice try, nice idea but it’s never going to work.” “No way.” “Here we go again.” Sometimes it is more subtle and can be innocent questions, reminders of unforeseen impediments, and doubts.

Naysaying holds back positive changes. And, it negatively impacts relationships. Nobody likes a naysayer.

So, why we do this? It comes from a negative attitude. Sometimes it is a projection of our own insecurities. If we are having a hard time getting our footing with parnasah, we might project our negative attitude onto other people’s business plans. Or even onto our own dreams. “That idea will never make enough money.”

Or, we subconsciously fear losing something in the relationship so we attempt to rob power from the other person by devaluing their idea. It may be coming from jealousy. “You don’t have what it takes to pull that off.” “That idea will never take off.”

If you find yourself nixing ideas often, reflect on where that may be coming from – is your naysaying based on facts or might it be your attitude?