Gary Ryan Blair
HAVE YOU EVER heard yourself saying yes to the wrong things… never-ending requests of your time, bad relationships, energy draining obligations…and wished you could summon the power to turn them down?
Because if you have, you’re about to learn the world’s most powerful strategy for simplifying your life, focusing on your priority goals and unleashing your greatness.
The fact is…learning how, when and why to use THE POWER OF NO is a real life saver for the simple reason that a well-placed “NO” will not only save you time and trouble, it will also dramatically improve the quality of your life, and overall well-being.
You have the right and responsibility to START SAYING NO to anything that is hurting you. To anything not in alignment with your values. To the standards that no longer serve you. To the people who drain you of your creativity and peace of mind. To the beliefs that are not true to the real you.
That’s the reason why I created The Power of No Manifesto.
Consisting of two letters and one syllable, the word “NO” can be considered to be one of the most powerful words in your vocabulary.
It’s the easiest word for setting a limit, holding firm to boundaries, and being clear about what you will or will not do.
You will be a lot more productive once you recognize that:
1. “NO” is not a dirty word, negative word, nor is it a selfish word. Learning to say “No” is liberating as it frees up your time to focus on your key priorities.
2. You are in complete control of how you spend your time and your life. Saying “NO” allows you more time and energy to pursue your goals and wildest ambitions.
3. Saying, “NO,” increases the value of the things you say, “YES” to.
Transforming your life and results requires a short “YES” list, and a long “NO” list.
You must consciously say yes to the right things, which is a VERY short list and not be overwhelmed, overworked and generally stressed out. AND, you have to say no to a long list of other things. The trick is to keep your Yes list short and your NO list long.
NOW, I’m well aware that saying NO can be awkward, guilt inducing, nerve racking, embarrassing, even risky to friendship and career.
However, if you are committed to transforming your life and fast-tracking your results, you must be willing to give NO the respect and strategic resolve it deserves.
SAYING “NO” means setting limits and firm boundaries that protect your time and maximize your results. This simple two-letter word is the most compelling, strategic decision you can make as it allows you to improve yourself, your family, and your organization’s effectiveness.
It’s no coincidence that you are listening to this message…as RIGHT NOW is the perfect time to assess your goals, evaluate your use of time, rearrange your priorities, and decide what you need to change and what you need to say NO to in order to maximize your results and unleash your greatness.
You will succeed on the basis of what, where and how you say “no”, and what follows are fifteen simple, effective and highly empowering strategies for transforming your life and driving radical results— FAST!
Click here to download The Power Of No.
1. What strategies, initiatives and activities will you say “NO” to?
There is great feeling, focus, empowerment, and impact when everyone agrees on paper the activities that will not be done.
Pull out a piece of paper and list all of the superfluous activities that can slow down, or prevent progress from happening altogether.
Everything is fair game; absolutely nothing is sacred in this exercise. Simply put, if it does not advance you forward, then JUST SAY NO!
2. What meetings will you decline or delegate?
List every meeting you have in place and determine which you will NOT be attending. Meetings consume large chunks of productive time, most are run improperly and inefficiently, and most can be declined or delegated to someone else.
This requires a conscious, deliberate decision as in order to maximize your time and performance, you need to remove the time hogs!
3. What relationships will you not keep?
The way you manage your relationships has an enormous impact on your ability to perform at consistently high levels.
Identify the top three energy-draining relationships, that you are committed to saying “no” to for the next 100 days. Then focus on creating strategies to free yourself from each of them.
You have to wisely choose where, how and with whom you spend the next 100 days, and how much time you spend with each.
4. What measurements will you ignore?
Say goodbye to all lagging indicators and ONLY pay attention to measurements related to customer satisfaction and the levers that directly drive sales, margin, conversion, operating expense and ROI.
The reality is that most people have gotten more and more precise and sophisticated at measuring less and less of an organization’s TRUE value.
5. What customers will you not target?
Identify your IDEAL prospect, client or customer and quit chasing every opportunity as it’s a complete waste of time and resources.
Once identified, you must then articulate who you will NOT target.
Finally, make decisions on segments of your customers that deserve “VIP” treatment, and those who do not.
VIP customers pay the mortgage, put food on the table and help put your kids through college. Loyal VIP customers keep coming back, spending more and become powerful advocates for your cause. Enthusiastic VIP customers make your work fun, enjoyable and purposeful.
6. What competitors will you not follow?
Way too much time is lost by following and focusing on too many competitors and so-called guru’s.
Identify the top three and immediately remove yourself from all of the other email distribution lists, blogs and other related communications.
When you play the game of paying attention to the entire set of competitors in a large industry, you spend too little time focusing on what is most important, your customer and key performance indicators.
7. What websites will you not visit?
Web sites are like magnets and vampires, as they draw you in and suck away productive time.
Pull up your list of favorites, make the decision on who goes keep only the ones of greatest value. You must institute a “No Surfing” policy and stick to it.
8. What money will you not spend?
Put yourself on a fiscal diet as every dollar spent should be thought of as an investment towards greater operating income — even petty cash.
With this in mind, what things, or even entire budget categories, will you not spend?
9. What trips will you not make?
It’s hard to deny the power of ‘showing up’ in person as great things happen when you show up and interact with customers and colleagues. Nonetheless, trips consume massive gobs of time and money.
Therefore, consider how you can use technology to replace trips, and only travel when it can make a big impact towards your primary goals.
10. What foods will you not eat?
Reaching the next level of performance and productivity begins with how you manage energy. It’s disturbing to see the immense amount of human and corporate potential squandered due to the misuse of energy.
Unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise, negativity, sarcasm, unfocused goals and strategies are all contributing factors to energy loss.
As obvious as this seems, we often fail to take into account the critical role of energy in our lives.
We are all reservoirs of energy, and everything we do requires that we use it wisely. It’s imperative that you focus in on your nutritional intake and exercise and eliminate any food, or drink that compromises your energy levels.
11. What excuses will you not engage in?
Excuses drain energy, time, productivity and profits. Have a brutally honest conversation with yourself and determine the excuses or behaviors that you must do away with.
This requires heightened personal awareness, but you must identify the thoughts and behaviors you want to demonstrate and say adios to the rest.
I’m aware that it’s easier said than done, but you will NOT be able to achieve your true potential by fighting for and repeating unproductive behavior.
12. What will you not say?
Develop the habit of saying NOTHING that does not move the ‘agenda’ forward or uplift others. Speak ONLY of the solution, and waste not a second on the problem or blame.
By consciously choosing 2 or 3 things not to say this year (or ways to say them), you can ironically discover what’s ‘missing’ from your leadership effectiveness.
You will also save a lot of time and mental energy which can be directed towards more useful activities.
13. What thoughts will you not entertain?
Remember that which does not move you towards your goal, takes you away from it. Therefore remove those thoughts that are limiting, defeating or downright negative and consciously choose to replace them with thoughts of abundance, optimism, and positivity.
Don’t tolerate negative thoughts or conversations from yourself or others. When they present themselves, remove them immediately in the same manner you would from the rain coming through a window.
14. What television shows will you not view?
If there was ever a time hog that needed to be slaughtered, television tops the list.
How many hours do you think you spend watching TV in an average week? A couple? Three or four? More than twenty? If you stop to think about it, those TV hours don’t take long to add up.
In even a moderate TV-watching household, it’s simply amazing how many hours are spent in front of the box. The solution—GO COLD TURKEY!
15. What will you no longer tolerate from yourself or others?
Saying “no” and meaning it is the easiest word for setting a limit, holding firm to boundaries, and being clear about what you will or will not do.
Identify the standards you wish to measure your life by and refuse to lower or negotiate at any time, nor for any reason. No is a tool of liberation and empowerment so use it with absolute authority.
Use the veto power of “NO” regularly and with conviction as it’s a powerful strategic weapon that you can use to maximize your results.
NOW…If you’re really SERIOUS about transforming your life and driving results quickly, you’d be wise to start implementing these 15 strategies – IMMEDIATELY
Let’s now focus on what you should say “YES” to.
Say hello to the…100 DAY CHALLENGE, a powerful program for driving radical results through focus, commitment, accountability and a robust sense of urgency!
Whether your goals or strategic plans have to do with increasing sales, making more money, becoming debt free, losing weight, or gaining muscle…the 100 Day Challenge will show you how to achieve ANY GOAL YOU WANT faster and easier than you ever thought possible.
One of my core beliefs is that it’s not WHAT you know, or even WHO you know that counts most, It’s HOW you execute that determines your destiny.
The key skill that differentiates truly great performers and organizations from mediocre ones is their ability to effectively execute on what they know.
There is a gap for most of us between what we know we should do, and what we are actually willing to do.
This knowing-doing gap is what keeps most people and organizations from accomplishing what they are capable of, and thus Unleashing Their Greatness.
Through this revolutionary extreme performance acceleration program, you will learn:
• How to transform your life by implementing the Power of No.
• How to execute flawlessly and enjoy greater levels of productivity.
• How to eliminate performance and time-draining activities.
The 100 Day Challenge is an intense, hands-on, meat and potatoes type program for both people and organizations that would like to accomplish more in the next 100 days than others will do over the course of 10 years.
MOST of us have two lives: the lives we live, and the lives we are capable of living. It’s the latter that intrigues me. It’s the life, I believe that we all deeply desire.
It’s the life we know exists somewhere deep inside us that we wish we could actualize.
This life isn’t driven by the you who settles, or who gives into procrastination, doubt and fear, but by the optimal you, the best you, the capable you, the healthy you. The you who shows up with your best stuff, making big things happen, making a difference in the world, living a life of significance.
The 100 Day Challenge is a rapid execution system used by more than 675,000 high-achievers to achieve life-changing results in 100 days. Don’t do it unless you want spectacular results.
The strategies you’ll learn in the 100 Day Challenge have elected a president, grown non-profit causes, won gold medals and fueled movements. Now it’s your turn to win bigger faster!