) by James Altucher with, apparently(!), the same topics as the topics covered in this post! I have not read the book (apologies to James, it is something I’m going to remedy soon though!) and I hadn’t in mind the book of  James Altucher when I wrote this post. But still, if you interested in the topics of this post, I would like to urge you to read James’ book! He is a very innovative and value-added thinker!In a crowded world full of messages and interruptions, “NO” is a great gatekeeper to safeguard your time, mood, effectiveness, and resources. It is important to know how to say No, but it is much more important to know why you have to say it and the when to say it!
Why Yes Is Not Always An Option
Positive thought and practice give you a perspective of the world that can fuel more successful strategies towards various, difficult, situation! But a positive outlook does not mean, by any chance, that you are obliged to accept everything in your day-to-day interactions!
There are times, and today these times are multiplied, that no is a more successful win-win strategy for coping with various situations. Especially the ones demand a large portion of your time, energy, and resources! It is a fact that you cannot do anything and you do not have the time to cope with everything you would like to! You need “personal” time for reviewing, regrouping and organization as well as “time slots” for you doing what it is important to you!
By accepting everything you bring yourself to a place where you:
- lose your priorities for the priorities of other people,
- do not master and control your time, energy, priorities, goals, and resources,
- do not follow your objectives, but try to accommodate the objectives of other people
- would please some people, but at the end of the day, you would disappoint and stress yourself
In a world demands higher capacity and effectiveness, even for processing the daily tasks, this is not acceptable!
What No Signifies
What is acceptable, today is to employ strategies that would relieve you the stress and permit you to focus on the things matter most. Both on your personal and professional level!
In that context, “no” can be proved a long-term successful formula and a winning strategy, both for you and the people you interact with!
Why? Because “NO” is a gatekeeper. Blocks irresponsible requests and safeguards your time, energy and resources. Moreover cultivates the respect of the other people to your boundaries and teach the respect to you for the boundaries of the other people.
The Strategy Of NO
The personal commitments (as the professional ones), your personality, your character and everything makes YOU, rooted on your capacity to safeguard your values, beliefs and your principles (as far as they do not conflict with the reality, of course) and to observe closely your limitations under the light to overcome them!
The personal growth and evolution depend mostly on negation, not affirmation because in the long run a strategy as such provides the time and resources for you to focus on the important things of your life! After all, discipline is for you to follow certain practices and activities and say no to other activities!
But the strategy of “NO” should no be used without a thought. It shouldn’t be the result of a spontaneous or automated reaction. It should be the output of a detail and deliberated thought came after and derived from personal and professional goals! Otherwise, it may prove a poor strategy and a one that eventually drives people, opportunities, leads, and resources away from you and your purposes!
If “NO” used strategically, can cultivate a long-term successful course of action and a more balanced life between personal and professional life.
Think a little bit about it!
Question: Do you like the “NO” strategy? Do you use NO in your daily activities? Would you consider to write your thought on “The Strategy Of NO”!
