It is okay (and probably better) to politely decline.

• Invitations to dinner with people you really don’t like.
• Invitations to participate in something you can’t support (with your time, energy or money.)
• Invitations to a survey – regardless of whether they will pay you for your time – if you don’t plan to give them good, constructive, thoughtful, positive (or negative) and authentic feedback.
• Invitations to be interviewed, unless you know they will help guide you to a good performance and won’t “surprise” you with a zinger question.
• Invitation to the wedding/milestone birthday/anniversary of an old friend you haven’t seen in years and probably won’t see again after.

Just take the high road. Politely decline, respond or RSVP with a simple “no thank you” and leave it at that. Even if you think you have more to say, the reason why or why not, it doesn’t matter. Probably best to leave that in your head and not say it, e-mail it, print it, text it or otherwise document what you don’t really need to share.

~ Dawn aka Hat Girl