Just Say No

Good Morning,

After last week’s topic, you might find this advice rather surprising - but it actually makes sense and it’s an important key to success.

Just say “no.”

And I’m not referring to illegal drugs, although it’s good advice there, too.

Many of us have the instinct to say “yes” every time someone asks for help. Indeed the world needs a lot of help and there’s a lot of “asking” going on (which I still encourage you to do!). But we have to prioritize the things on which we spend our most precious resource, time. Be careful about when to say “yes” and when to say “no.” By saying “no” to things that pull us away from our priorities, we are better able to accomplish our goals and keep our promises.

We’ve all heard the saying, “The cobbler’s children go shoeless.” It’s often said in jest, but it actually describes a serious problem. It basically means the cobbler is too busy attending to the demands of other people to take care of his or her own children.

Okay - most of us aren’t cobblers, but many of us have experienced scenarios like the following. We’re in the middle of an important project and somebody calls or walks in and says urgently, “Can you help me with XYZ?” Being helpful by nature, we stop what we’re doing to lend a hand. What happens to the important project we were working on? Too often, important priorities lose out to urgent tasks.

The bottom line is, be wary of letting “urgent” trump “important” and assuming that “yes” is always the best answer. Instead of automatically saying “yes” and potentially short-changing yourself or others, take a moment to determine if the more productive answer is actually “no.”

Have a Sunny Day!

Clarity

P.S. It’s certainly true that saying “no” can be difficult. If you’re interested in some helpful tips and strategies, I suggest looking up communication expert Pamela Jett at www.jettct.com, who I’ve enjoyed hearing speak at The Yes Network. Pamela has a specific methodology for how to say “no” while building rapport in the process.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
www.MetroMichigan.com