I have always been good at saying no & my parents hated it. My daughter learned that if I didn't have all tge necessary details my answer would be no but she knew that if she brought me the nessary information that she could change the no to a yes but not with whining, only valid needed information.
Had a guy from high school & college try to reconnect with me a few years ago. He is married & just wanted to be friends but seriously he was rather obnoxious & I disagreed with most of his thinking. I had enough & explained why I was unfriending & blocking him. A year later he asked a mutual friend to tell me happy birthday & he wanted to communicate with me. Told the mutual friend that nothing he could say would change my mind & NO I was not going to communicate.
I am also getting much better at saying no to going places when I am just too tired from wirking on my farm & horse sitting.
Also getting good at telling a company if they don't communicate I won't consider hiring them. The retaining wall company that the foundation repair company recommended sent out a bid without comibg to my house & discussing it. I am going with a company I know & trust.
Lol....In college (around 1972) I was maybe 18, working for this strange musician guy in Burbank ,Ca (before computers). He wanted me to catalog his LP records on 3x5 cards. He stated an amount/ card & he knew how many records he had. Took it home over the weekend & completed it. When I took it back he was goingvto pay less than he agreed to. Told him he wasn't getting any of the cards unless he paid what he originally agreed to. I got the amount he originally agreed to & he got his cards. When I told my mom about it she wondered where I got my guts cause it is nothing like my family at all.
Growing up I knew my parents would never stick up for me so if I didn't learn to do it the world could care less.....so I learned to say no at a very young age