Saying No

January 4, 2011

Welcome to the new year. Have you piled on a few more tasks, ideas, commitments, and resolutions? Most people think of the start of the new year as a means to do more. Although their intentions are good, after a few weeks they’re usually exhausted and return to what they’ve always done.

So, I challenge you to try something different this year.

Instead of saying “yes” to more things, try saying “no.” By cutting out the distractions, time wasters, tolerations, and the plethora of mediocrity you find yourself drowning in day after day, you might stand a chance of producing something significant.

For example, one of my habits as an entrepreneur is to study and follow other entrepreneurs. This, as you can imagine, can be a tremendous time expense. I could literally spend hours consuming information about other people – getting more ideas and implementing none.

So I am choosing just five – five that I like, trust, and respect – five whose newsletters and blog posts cause me to play a bigger game – and I will only follow them. I am letting go of all the rest, the ones I have followed because I’ve been afraid I might “miss something.” This is enormously challenging (scary!) for me but it’s time to say no.

When you deliberately say no to the areas of your life that are not productive, you open yourself up to opportunities that might be otherwise be missed.

Say no to anything that does not actually produce a profit or move you toward a targeted goal. This includes T.V. (seriously, can you name 5 shows you’ve seen in your lifetime that have contributed to your success?), celebrity magazines, gossip, having your email open all the time, and spending more than 30 minutes on Twitter or Facebook.

Say no to toxic people – you know who they are – they suck the life out of your time, confidence, and dreams. Just stop talking to them. If that’s absolutely not possible then stop talking to them about anything to do with your dreams. And put a time limit on the amount of time you’ll listen to their negativity (like 5 minutes, tops) before you say, “thank you for calling” or “I’ve enjoyed our brief chat” or  if you’re feeling especially assertive, “I know we’ve talked at length about these kinds of things in the past, but to be honest, I really need to focus on something more positive. ”

Say no to food that does not give you sustainable energy for your big dream. Enough said.

Say no to spending money in order to feel good.

And say no to anyone or anything that threatens to take away your desire to live a life of excellence!
- Ann

Ann Vertel, PhD Success Psychologist / Entrepreneur Mindset Expert http://AnnVertel.com

* If you use this article on your blog, website, or ezine, you must include the following paragraph (including active links):

Dr. Ann Vertel is a success psychologist and entrepreneur mindset expert who speaks, writes, and trains on how to win the inner game of entrepreneurial success. She is the creator of The Millionaire Mindset Method, a proven step-by-step program to shatter your money limits so you can earn what you are worth. To get your own copy of her success mindset articles visit http://AnnVertel.com.

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