There are a lot of gatekeepers in life (many self-proclaimed) who’s job it is to tell you a big fat “no.” Small minded managers, insecure bosses, human resources people, and even narrow-minded family members. Most “no” people have taken the job because they don’t know how to inspire or motivate people – so they figure they might as well be good at something – and saying no is pretty easy to do. The challenge for you is to know which “no” people to listen to and which ones to ignore. I got a speeding ticket the other day and decided the cop was a “no” person I should probably listen to. However, a former business associate who was always full of reasons we couldn’t land a client, or the friend who told me why I shouldn’t waste my time writing books, or the college professors who liked tenure more than risking it all for a great cause – are all people I’ve chosen to ignore.
Learn priorities – what’s important to you and what isn’t. Once you’ve got that figured out, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to say “no” to no people.
