Learn to say No gracefully - Day-09-101 Day Reading Challenge-Who will cry when you die
Day-09-101 day Reading Challenge- a Mine2Shine initiative-9789186428
It is easy to say yes to every request
on your time when the priorities of your life are unclear. When your days are not guided by a rich and inspiring
vision for your future, a clear image of an end result that will help you act more intentionally, it is not hard for
the agendas of those around you to dictate your actions. As I wrote in Leadership
Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, “if your priorities don’t get
scheduled into your planner, other
people’s priorities will get put into your planner.” The solution is to be
clear about your life’s highest objectives and then to learn to say no
with grace.
The Chinese sage Chuang – tzu told the
story of a man who forged swords for a maharaja. Even at the age of ninety,
his work was carried out with
exceptional precision and ability. No matter how rushed he was, he never
made even the slightest slip. One day, the maharaja asked the old man, “Is this
a natural talent or is there some
special technique that you use to create your remarkable results?” “It is
concentration on the essentials,” replied
the sword – crafter. “I took to forging swords when I was twenty – one years
old. I did not care about anything
else. If it was not a sword, I did not look at it or pay any attention to it.
Forging swords became my passion and
my purpose. I took all the energy that I did not give in other directions and
put it in the direction of my art. This is the secret to my mastery.”
The most effective people concentrate
on their “areas of excellence,” that is, on the thing they do best and on those high – impact activities that
will advance their life – work. In being so consumed by the important things,
they find it easy to say no to their less – than – worthy distractions that clamor for their
attention.
Michael Jordan, the best basketball
player in the game’s history, did not negotiate his contracts, design his uniforms and prepare his travel schedules.
He focused his time and energies on what he did best: playing basketball, and delegated everything else
to his handlers. Jazz great Louis Armstrong did not spend his time selling tickets to his shows and setting
up chairs for the audience. He concentrated on his point of brilliance: playing the trumpet. Learning to say no to
the non – essentials will give you more time to devote to the things that have the power to truly improve the
way you live and help you leave the legacy you know in your heart you are destined to leave.
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