The Power of No

How important is the word 'no'? Could it possibly be the most influential word ever conceived?

It means the same thing in different languages. Hell, I can say it in English and I'd bet good money that no matter what language you speak, you'd know exactly what I said. Now, what I'm saying no to would be a different thing...unless you just touched my bacon. You'd know that you should never touch my bacon again regardless of the words that came out of my mouth.

The 'no' I'm talking about is the one that keeps you from over-extending yourself. There's only so much one person can do and only so many hours in which to do those things. Growing up, I figured that it was nice to help out, to say yes to helping. Nice people get far, so I should say yes. Yes, yes, yes. All that made me was someone who's time wasn't ever valued. I was asked to help out or do something because they knew that I would do it. It was like I didn't even have a choice in the decision. My time was for them and all they had to do was ask.

Now, that's all good and well, but I found a better way to handle those situations: only say 'yes' when I really want to do it AND its something that they couldn't do themselves. I feel as if it has given me a little more time to do things that I want to do (like having time to write). It has helped those that "needed my help" a chance to learn something on their own and find a new skill. Then, when they get done learning and I get done doing with what I actually wanted to do with my day, it's time for a beer and more learning and good discussion.

Think about how many things you could say no to a year and the time you gain by doing so.

If you could say no to three things a year, do you think it'd be better in the long run for your stability? Would it allow you the time to pursue on more goal that's in the back of your head?