The Power of Saying "No"
“NO,” One of the most powerful words in existence.
Multi-billionaire Warren Buffet was asked, "What's your secret to your consistently amazing growth every year?"
His answer? "I've said 'No' more than any other time in my career."
You can read the full interview with Warren Buffet on CNBC.com at: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/23/berkshire-hathaways-warren-buffett-shares-his-top-rule-for-success.html
One of the best ways to become a success in any area that you seek to develop is having the ability to say no to anything that won’t enhance your life, and to say yes to things that are beneficial. Understanding this simple practice and reflecting on it can result in immediate changes in your life.
Be Prepared For Change
Suppose you look at a personal situation, a job for example, and you ask yourself, “is this job really what I want, is this really where I belong?” If the answer is No, then a change should be made. If it cannot be done immediately, then a plan should be developed so that you can get out of a negative situation and create a positive one. This kind of analysis can be implemented in any area of life. You can look at your physical status, your relationships, your financial state, your Spiritual life, your educational accomplishments, how you spend your time, etcetera.
If you are not doing the things that add value to your own life and to the lives of others, then a change should take place. Most people know when a change should be made; the problem is that most people don’t have the courage to make that change. Courage and success go hand in hand. All great achievements were preceded by acts of courage. When a person pushes through the fears of their own mind, when they step out of their comfort zone, when they chase their dreams, the door to success becomes wide open. There are always obstacles and challenges, but the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful depends on persistence and resiliency. Zig Ziglar said, “The difference between the big shot and the little shot is, the big shot was a little shot that just kept on shooting!”
Logical and Emotional
You have to learn how to think both logically and emotionally. There is a time and place for both of these approaches. I will give you an example. Let’s say that you have work tomorrow; you know that you should go to bed early because you have a long day ahead of you and you need to get the proper amount of rest so that you can be fully functional on the job. However, you have been wanting to watch a new movie that came out and you are willing to sacrifice sleep in order to watch it. Obviously, if we used logic, it makes a lot more sense to go to bed early so you feel refreshed and alert the following day. Your emotions are pulling you to watch the movie and it’s going to feel much better to take the time to relax and enjoy yourself. In a scenario such as this, it is important to ask yourself, which choice is going to give me the biggest pay out? The movie will still be there in later days and payment from your work puts food on the table.Successful people know how to balance their work time and their recreation time properly.
Successful people know when to use logic and emotion in their proper place. On the contrary, emotion is a strong reference when you do things from your deepest inner core. A prayer for example should be filled with emotion. A logical stance would be to pray a certain way or a way that you were structurally taught or like everyone else is praying. It’s what looks normal, but prayers should be personal between God and yourself. God doesn’t want you to tell him what you think he wants to hear, he wants you to be open with him. A guitarist plays from within, a singer sings from within, a poet writes from within.
Emotional action enables you to extract your deepest most inner feelings and express yourself like never before. Bruce Lee said, “Don’t think, ….feel.” It is very important for you to know when you have to act from within. You have to do what your heart tells you to do. Master the art of knowing when to take action emotionally or logically. When you do, you will take hold of your life and positive results are bound to take place.
Delay Gratification
Saying no to short term satisfactions for a greater long term reward is the mark of a successful person. We are in an age of instant gratification. People want results now; they want the big home now; they want the promotion now and so on. Everything takes time. When you invest time and energy into something, the reward grows and it makes it that much sweeter when you finally get the reward that you deserve.
For your own success, you should be able to put off the instant rewards of life so you can build your foundation for the future and be set up for continual success in upcoming years. God is a great example of this. God takes time when developing things that he wants to last. When God wants to create a mushroom, he does it overnight, but when he wants to create an oak tree, he does it over the course of a hundred years. When the storm comes, the oak tree is still standing. Make sure you take time to build your foundation. Make sure you take the time to enjoy the journey. The journey is what makes people grow; the journey is what brings people satisfaction and happiness.
Say NO
Say no often, say it with kindness, and say with meaning but make sure you say it. Say it when you know it isn’t the best choice for you to go forward with something. Say it when you should be saying yes to other things. Say no to anything that displeases God; say no to anything that won’t bring benefits to your own life; and say no to things that go against your values.