“The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything” [Warren Buffeti]
I’d like to start the week with a little bit of a pep talk (I know what you’re saying “oh pleeease, it’s Monday!” but trust me, this is a good one). I recently read this amazing book called Manage Your Day-To-Day by 99U, which is a brilliant little compendium of tips from top entrepreneurs that will help you sharpen your creative mind.
Now, this is not gonna be a book review but a reflection on how some of these tips DO WORK. There’s one that’s on top of my list right no: How to say “no”. It’s kind of embarrassing to see how many of us struggle to say no – whether it be to your boss, your partner, friends, etc. For crying out loud, it’s a two-letter word, how hard can it be?!
Social media, our jobs, the economy – so many factors have bound our power to say no. We feel we are the mercy of our inboxes, demanding to get a response asap. Our cellphones have become an extra limb and no matter where we go we are always “ON”. We are like honey boo boo hooked on go-go juice – except we are not consuming copious amounts of mountain dew mixed with redbull, instead we are consuming insane amounts of information.
So how do we disconnect? How do we stop this invisible force that’s slowly draining our creative batteries (and sometimes even our relationships)? We stop it by saying NO. NO to answering calls after 10PM. NO to responding emails after 5PM. NO to giving up a weekend getaway so you can schedule some posts. NO to incessantly refreshing your FB, Pinterest, Instagram feed instead of being outside taking some sun or reading a book. NO to responding to that not-at-all-urgent tweet so you make some time to practice your twerking in front of the mirror.
Try it (the twerking included). Give it a go. Say YES. YES to giving up a post on your blog so you can hike a mountain with your lovely buddies. YES to ditching not-so-important emails to grab a beer with your best pal. YES to watching a scary movie by yourself and going to bed late. YES to finally finishing that book that’s been collecting dust by your night stand. YES to stuffing your face with a strawberry shortcake McFlurry all while rocking a dafuck-you-lookin-at attitude.
I know it’s not easy and I am no authority on this (fuck, I should be in bed already), but I want to encourage all of you to try it. Just say YES to one thing and you’ll see – and feel – the rewards of spending quality time with friends and with yourself. When you turn off your phone/computer/tablet and you let your brain run wild, amazing things happen.
This past weekend I said NO to scheduling “extra posts just in case” and I went out with friends. We went hiking, watched some fireworks, shared a sinful dessert (actually I ate it all), had some coffee (which I accidentally poured over my crotch). Little things that put a HUGE smile on my face (except the burnt crotch). Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my interwebz and its rewards, but they’ll never come close to the feeling of having stomach cramps ‘from laughing with friends. Remember that “very successful” is not always related to business – baking a cake and relaxing at home definitely count as being a very successful person.
Become successful at taking care of yourself! And may the odds be forever in your favour.
What are your thoughts on this? Is it easy for you to say NO? Are you trying to say YES more often? Do you unplug?
All Images: Artful Desperado
