No

Hey - It’s Michael.

went to my first improv theatre practice the other day - what a fun experience! Enjoy the newsletter!

A coworker asks you to do x. It doesn’t feel quite right, yet you do it. Later a big mess happens.

Your partner asks you to help there, share this or talk about that. Reluctantly you do it, only to feel terrible afterwards, again creating turmoil and problems along the way.

Your boss comes in a few minutes before you call it a day and dumps a series of tasks on you. Every body part of yours signals to reject these tasks, yet you can’t get yourself to say No and end up working late night and the weekend.

You’re alone and need a break, but force yourself to work on this topic or do that thing.

Whether it’s someone else or your own mind talking you into doing things you don’t want, the outcome is the same: you hurt yourself.

The body is an incredibly complex and intelligent system. Without us needing to do anything, it breathes, perceives the environment with its senses, processes information, it metabolizes food, protects us from harmful bacteria & viruses, repairs damage already done, grows, learns, works. It keeps us alive.

The body tells us when something is off, something is not good for us - whatever the reason may be - yet rarely we listen to that sometimes subtle, sometimes strong signals.

Principle:

Listen to your body saying No. Then say No.

No is a complete sentence.

Every No is a Yes to yourself.

Every Yes includes a No.

Your time on earth is limited. Your energy and resources are limited. While you can do any thing you want, you can’t do every thing you want. This means, you’ll have to say No. A lot.

Sometimes to protect yourself, sometimes to be focussed on your goals, sometimes there is no apparent reason your mind understands, but your body just knows.

The moment you set a meaningful goal, have clarity about your values, know what you want and is important to you, your body will tell you when to say No. Just listen.

Practice to say No to any request you receive for a full day & see what happens.

Say No to your colleagues, to your boss, to your spouse, to your friends, to your family, even to yourself when you have this urge or that compulsion.

The wrong people will scream, exert pressure, manipulate - and eventually leave your life.

The right people will understand, accept and stay. They’ll get closer to you.

The wrong opportunities and projects will fade. There’ll be doubt, fear and uncertainty.

And then, the right projects will come along.

“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” - Warren Buffett

How would my life improve if I’d say No to anything I don’t want?

See you next week - Michael