The people who respect your “no” are the ones who deserve your “yes.”

How someone handles being told no tells you more than how they behave when they are getting what they want. Anyone is pleasant while things go their way; the information arrives at the refusal, in whether they accept it or start working on you. That reaction is a preview of the whole relationship.

Say no to something small this week and watch what happens next. Not as a test you are running on them, just as information you are allowed to notice. Then spend your yes on the people who took it well.