This is a Word You Need to Be Saying More Often!

Jun 2018

Today’s post is something that many of us struggle with doing but it is something that many of us need to get better at. We only have so much time in the day and in our lives that sometimes what we don’t do is more important than what we do.

You Probably Want Me to Tell You What This Blog Post Is About…

Ordinarily, I would, but I am going to take a different road this time and respond to you by saying no, you will find out later in this post.

Ok, ok, I promised myself I wouldn’t let the cat out of the bag, but just this one time…the subject of today’s blog post is saying no.

Damn, I promised myself I wouldn’t tell you.

Now That the Cat is Out of the Bag

I really need to get cranking and finish this blog post because I am a bit behind on my posts for the week.

I was in the process of writing it the other day when my friend Julie called and asked if I wanted to go grab lunch at the new Italian place down the street.

Even though I knew I should be working on this post, I said ‘sure’.

We Went to Lunch and…

The waiter brought us the menu and some water. Julie then proceeded to tell me how she has been really doing a great job in eating better. I tell her that I am very proud of her.

Looking at the menu, she decides she will have the salad with chicken. “Good, that’s a healthy choice,” I tell her.

Then the waiter came back and said, “I forgot to tell you about the special of the day, it is lasagna with eggplant and extra cheese, would you like to try it?” he asks Julie.

“Yeah, why not!”, she says, even though she knows it’s not on her diet.

We finish up, pay the bill and go our separate ways. Julie on the walk of shame for eating what she shouldn’t have, and me on my own walk of shame for not working on the blog post like I should have.

I Get Home and Am About to Get Back to the Blog Post…

When the carbs hit me. “Should I have a little nap?” I ask myself. “Hmmm, doesn’t sound like a bad idea…I’ll work on the blog post after my 20-minute nap.”

2 Hours Later, I Wake Up

And am a little groggy. I’m thinking some coffee may be good to wake my ass up, even though I am trying to cut back on my caffeine intake after 4 pm as it keeps me up at night. “Ah screw it,” I say to myself as I grab a cup of java and open-up my laptop to continue writing this post.

Just as I am Warming Up My Fingers to Make Some Literary Magic (or so I hope)

Ding, I get a text message from my buddy Mike. “bro do you want me to pick you up for that networking event tonight, or are you going to meet me there?”.

Damn, that’s right! I agreed to go to that networking event, even though I know it’s a waste of time and even though I know I have more important things to do, namely finishing this blog post.

I’ll just go for a couple hours and come back and finish this post…

We Get to the Event

And it’s fine, it only lasts a couple hours and I’m ready to go home to work on this post when Mike says, “hey you wanna go grab a beer at that new bar down the street?” “I really should go home and write that blog post,” I tell myself “but I guess I can finish it tomorrow.”

Fast forward…

To the next day and here I am sitting on my ass, with a bit of a headache, about to finish writing this post. I think I will leave the part about the inspiration for the post until the end, that way I will leave you the reader in suspense, so you keep reading.

Ok, finally back to writing…

“So, Where Did You Get the Inspiration for This Post?” you ask

Good question. Well, actually I was reading an article on Business Insider about Warren Buffett and how he credits his ability for saying no as one of the reasons he has been so successful. You should check it out.

UGH!!!! I promised myself I was going to leave that until the end.

You Know Something Else?

I also told myself that I wasn’t going to use Warren Buffett as an example after the last blog post that I quoted him in.

Oh well, I guess there could be worse people I could point to from the world of business.

Right! Or should I say write – get back to writing this blog post-Rick!

“Could You Just Summarize Buffett’s Advice for Me, I Don’t Want to Read It” you plead

Okay, fine! Basically, the story goes that he once told his pilot that the reason he was still working for him is that Buffett wasn’t doing his job mentoring him.

The pilot should be out pursuing bigger goals and dreams than working for him.

His advice to the pilot? Write down the list of your top 25 goals. Next, circle your top 5. Finally, eliminate the other 20 and focus only on the top 5. Do not even look at the other 20 until you have accomplished your top 5.

The lesson is that you need to say no! That way you will have 5 completed projects instead of 20 half-completed projects.

Oh man, I wanted to keep this post under 1000 words and should have just told you to click the link above instead of telling you the story! I really need to do a better job at saying no!

Just Say No!

There are many times in life where it isn’t about what you say yes to but rather it is about what you say no to! Learning to be selective and saying no to things that aren’t a priority will free up your time and allow you to focus on what’s important.

That’s It, But Before We Go…

I am sure you are curious about what tomorrow’s entertaining and actionable blog post is all about.

Well, let me tell you…

On second thought…NO!

You will have to visit Prime Your Pump tomorrow to find out!

Until next time, keep saying no when appropriate and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

Use It or Lose It:

To get more time in your life, learn to say no by:

Not overextending yourself, as Buffett famously says: “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything,”

You can use Buffett’s strategy by listing out your top 25 goals and then focusing only on the top 5. Alternatively, you can use the Pareto principle that we have discussed in previous blog posts – figure out which 20% of your actions are responsible for the 80% of your results and focus on them.

Being honest with people and with yourself.

You can’t and don’t want to say no to everything. So you are going to need to be strategic to what you say yes to, but only to things that bring you value. You just can’t say yes to everything or you will be a jack of all trades and master of none. You need to pick your battles.

When to Use Saying No:

When you need to get rid of the non-essential stuff in your life, so you can focus on what’s important.

What Do You Think?

What areas of your life do you need to get better at saying no? Please share in the comments below.

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