
I used to say “Yes” to most people when they are asking for help. Coming from an Asian background, it was very very difficult to say “No”.
Saying “Yes” to everyone and trying to please everyone will cause us to become overwhelmed and therefore, it may affect our future.
Many of us say yes to things because we eager to please and make a difference. Yet the key to making our highest contribution may well be saying “No”.
I believe we are more effective if we say “No” often, because we will have more time and resources to say “Yes” to things that really matters.
To eliminate the noise means saying “No” to someone. Often, it means pushing against social expectation. To do it well takes courage and compassion. So cutting out the noise isn’t just about mental discipline. It’s about the emotional discipline necessary to say no to people who try to pressurise us.
In reality, we can’t choose to do everything. The real question is not how can we do it all, it is who will get to choose what we do and don’t do. If we fail to realise that we have a right to choose, someone else will choose for us. So we can either choose what not to do or allow ourselves to be pulled into something we do not want to do or go.
Learning to say “No” will eliminate a lot of noise, thus earning us the time necessary to achieve what really matter to us, our ultimate goal and family.
Now, give it a go and let me know what you think.