Who Will Cry When You Die\?: Life Lessons From The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari pdfdrive com

9.
Learn to Say No Gracefully
It is easy to say yes to every request on your time when the priorities of your life
are unclear. When your days are not guided by a rich and inspiring vision for
your future, a clear image of an end result that will help you act more
intentionally, it is not hard for the agendas of those around you to dictate your
actions. As I wrote in Leadership Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari,
“if your priorities don’t get scheduled into your planner, other people’s priorities
will get put into your planner.” The solution is to be clear about your life’s
highest objectives and then to learn to say no with grace.
The Chinese sage Chuang-tzu told the story of a man who forged swords
for a maharaja. Even at the age of ninety, his work was carried out with
exceptional precision and ability. No matter how rushed he was, he never made
even the slightest slip. One day, the maharaja asked the old man, “Is this a
natural talent or is there some special technique that you use to create your
remarkable results?” “It is concentration on the essentials,” replied the sword-
crafter. “I took to forging swords when I was twenty-one years old. I did not care
about anything else. If it was not a sword, I did not look at it or pay any attention
to it. Forging swords became my passion and my purpose. I took all the energy
that I did not give in other directions and put it in the direction of my art. This is
the secret to my mastery.”
The most effective people concentrate on their “areas of excellence,” that
is, on the things they do best and on those high-impact activities that will
advance their lifework. In being so consumed by the important things, they find
it easy to say no to the less-than-worthy distractions that clamor for their
attention. Michael Jordan, the best basketball player in the game’s history, did
not negotiate his contracts, design his uniforms and prepare his travel schedules.
He focused his time and energies on what he did best: playing basketball, and
delegated everything else to his handlers. Jazz great Louis Armstrong did not
spend his time selling tickets to his shows and setting up chairs for the audience.
He concentrated on his point of brilliance: playing the trumpet. Learning to say
no to the non-essentials will give you more time to devote to the things that have
the power to truly improve the way you live and help you leave the legacy you
know in your heart you are destined to leave.

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