This one’s going to be very straightforward, folks.
As you know, when you say Yes to something, you’re also saying No to a hundred alternatives. But let’s face it…
There are some things you should always say No to. They’re just not helpful for you, your people, or your business. Especially if you’re serious about running a real business – and living a real life.
I’ve picked 10 for today. Maybe I’ll add more in the future. So…
Just Say No to These Things:
Social media. That’s right. Most of the time, social media is a complete time waster. It’s a time vampire that will suck hours and hours and hours of your precious “life blood” (creative faculties, decision-making power, and time for Things That Really Matter) right out of you. Let it go. At a minimum, limit the crap out of it! Set a definite time to follow it, with a definite time limit on when to stop.
Hanging out with people who drag you down… into their pettiness, lack of focus, and negative energy. We pick up the energy of the folks around us – don’t kid yourself that you’re somehow different. Surround yourself as much as possible with people who lift you up, inspire you, and challenge you in the ways you want. Cut out the rest. (And if a family or work obligation should force you to spend more time than you’d prefer with a real downer of a person… again, limit the time as much as you can.)
Crappy food and lack of exercise. You’ve got to feed your body the food it’s designed for and move it in the ways it needs and craves in order to function right. Otherwise… you’re shooting yourself in the proverbial foot. I’m not going to tell you whether you should go paleo or be a vegan or whatever. But figure it out for yourself – and avoid abusing your health from here on out.
Trying to please everybody. It can’t be done anyway. You’ll just end up disappointing more people than otherwise, feeling bad about it – and forgetting over time how to please yourself and the handful of people you really do want to please. Please the ones that matter. Ignore everyone else’s griping.
Procrastination. Obviously it wastes time. But it’s worse: it becomes a crutch for avoiding figuring out how you really work… what you really want in life… and your responsibility to take charge of yourself.
Letting others dictate your schedule. If you don’t plan your time, everybody else will do it for you. That’s no good. So don’t let it happen.
Reading books that are worthless. I’m not saying everything you read has to be on the same level as Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, but you need to be very intentional about what you read – and when and why you read it. A little light fiction at the right time can be just what the doctor ordered for some folks. Just don’t over-do the Jack Reacher “novels.” Read good stuff. Avoid junk.
Doing stuff you suck at. These activities drain your energy, enthusiasm, and creativity. Which means they cost you money and life. Get others to do them for you.
Randomly “surfing the Internet” because it’s just so mindlessly cool to go window shopping online… read the news… check out so-and-so’s blog… and blah, blah, blah. The Web is a powerful tool, and just like with reading novels or watching a quality movie with your person, there’s a time and a place for it. Just don’t do it randomly, mindlessly, and without definite boundaries in place.
Thinking you’ll do the important stuff later – “after I build my business or land these next five deals, or yada, yada, yada…” That’s a ticket to never actually getting around to the important stuff. It’s letting the means become the end, instead of the means being an actual means… to an actual END. Since the important stuff is the important stuff – do it NOW, this week, every day.
Saying No to this stuff will help create the mental, physical, and time space you need in order to do the things you’ve said Yes to. So go out there and life a truly great life.
And speaking of not procrastinating… give us a call at (801) 990-5109 orschedule your free appointment hereto build a personalized Wealth Plan. What are you waiting for? We’ll help you invest in real estate the right way…
