aztimesaver @aztimesaver: what are some ways you have learned to become more productive in your personal and professional life?
ANSWER:
Do you want to be a magician. Someone who makes the world bend around you. Someone who can create storms or heal people or even kill people with just a look. There’s only one magic incantation you need to know:
The Power of the No.
A girl read my book, “The Forever Portfolio” and saw that I had never gone to my prom. She said, “lets have a prom date for you”. So we got dressed up in fancy clothes. Went to a fancy place. Then went to shoot pool and play ping pong. It was fun. Then I went home. I said “no”. And within a few days I met Claudia. Saying “No” when you have doubts, when you have something in your gut that says this isn’t the best for you, even if means turning down sex, money, luxuries.
Life is simple. Saying “Yes” adds complexities to that: yes I will buy X, yes I will have sex, yes I will have that meeting and this meeting and that meeting, yes I will do that deal, yes I will buy that stock, yes I will that house. Yes, I will meet for just a drink.
Don’t ever do anything you don’t want to do.
The other day I was angry at someone. Someone doesn’t like me and was doing something to make my life annoying. So I was angry about it.
No. Stop.
Do I want to go visit some relatives five hours away. No. Do I want to go make a speech about something boring. No.
Everytime you say “No” you add to the value of your time. You add to the value of your body. Your mind. Your emotions. Your time, each second. You add to the value of right NOW. You respected yourself.Everytime you say “NO” you put money in the bank.
When thoughts are angry and you say “no” to them, your brain gets stronger, more flexible. When you say “no” to the worries of your future, your future leaves open the possibility and probability of more abundance, since most worries are just fictions.
So when should you ever say “yes”? When you love something. Then say “yes” to it. That’s it.