Can you share a lesson that you learned later in life and how it has impacted your current lifestyle, mentality, or attitude?

It’s very settling.

I used to be the kind of person who found it incredibly hard to say no. I would keep people’s feelings above mine.

But my mind wouldn’t let go of it.

Why do entitled people demand that I pick up after my doggo when he goes to the bathroom? Do they not know that doggy doo decomposes & feeds the plants?

This is how I paid for not being able to say NO.

No is a complete sentence & it should not be just used for CONSENT for sex.

I lost a lot of my time to help, keeping my needs aside & the favour was never returned because most people took my time for granted & I also hesitated to ask for help

Why do programmers choose to write their own code instead of using code that is already available online?

I was always that one eager person to help someone in need without realising the consequences it might have. I have helped people from Quora & other places during the time when I had nothing on me. I couldn’t say No when a man manipulated me into giving him a huge amount for his daughters education during Covid. I later got fed up asking him to return. He returned after two years. His wife was a working lady at a good corporate place. He lied to me as he wanted money for his alcohol addiction

But here’s the hard truth I learned much later in life.

I couldn’t say No to strangers talking & invading my personal life. It made me uncomfortable but somehow I entertained forcibly. This made me realize that I was an easy target for them. They thought of me as an easy prey. This always ended up hurting me because I knew there should be a boundary set , yet I couldn’t set it as I was just a naive small town girl

Mitsubishi Said in Advanced Talks on $8 Billion Aethon Deal - Bloomberg.com

I have ruined my sleep & rest hours with nonsense calls from nonsense people. No matter what the time, I have picked up their calls & listened to their rant for hours. I could not be blunt saying, ‘no am not interested in talking’

I am thankful to my profession & how I started from scratch that I was able to become so blunt & straight forward.

No meant she is being rebellious.

How did you as a human being change while growing up?

It drained me, messed with my peace, and cluttered my mind with unnecessary stress.

It has been an easy life.

I lost a lot of money trying to fit in. I don’t like expensive English meals at fancy restaurants. But my friends did. I couldn’t say No thinking I would be judged. But I love ‘Desi food’. I didn’t enjoy the food, & I ended up paying huge split bills so many times

Have you ever secretly watched someone while they were doing something private?

Many people especially girls will be able to connect with this answer.

It’s very refreshing.

-Smita Mishra

What is the most interesting question you can ask to get to know someone?

Whether it was a friend asking for a favor, an invitation I didn’t feel like accepting, or even a stranger requesting my time, I hesitated to say no

It’s very freeing.

I always felt obligated to be polite, to be accommodating, to be the “nice” person because the dictionary of ‘good girl’ means they should be accommodating according to the society.

How could NASA possibly land on the moon when it's impossible to reach the moon through the Earth's dome? Why are they making up such an obvious lie?

It’s very freeing.

I would spend hours, sometimes days, replaying the decision in my head, regretting my response, wishing I had been honest.

Everytime I said yes when I wanted to say no, I paid the price.

Should Pete Rose's record as the all-time hits leader be recognized and celebrated?