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Time is a common resource we all share. For every person in this world there is only 168 hours in every week. That equates to a bit more than ten thousand minutes per week in which to accomplish everything we need to do plus the things we want to accomplish in our life. It seems like plenty enough time to do every possible thing on even the longest list a person could concoct, but what is one of the things you most often hear people say? I just don't have enough time.

Why do people say this? Is it because they are cheated of some of the prerequisite minutes allotted to the whole of humanity? No, there is not any conspiracy here to shortchange some people to the benefit of others who handle time more efficiently. The real issue that hinders our efforts to achieve is the inability to prioritize the items in our life that truly deserve our attention. By no doing so, we limit the effective use of our time.

A large component in this campaign is to learn how to regulate the kind of activities we engage in. Some adventures we get enlisted to complete suck us away from the truly vital actions that help us succeed in our life. The failure here is our lack of ability to say no. Saying no is a right we have to every question. Many of us do not execute this right as often as we should, by leaving this option unsaid, we invite a host of activities into our schedule that make the necessities take a back seat.

Many people refuse to say no due to guilt. Our society is not very experienced in handling answers that aren't to the affirmative. We are part of the "now" generation, which believes everything has to be right and go exactly as we desire every time. If you don't believe me, sneak into the line at the customer service desk at any retail establishment. People expect to get perfection out of every experience and are quick to seek justice when they feel short changed.

Each of us has the ability as well as the right to take charge of our life by pushing out the two letter word when we really do not have the time or inclination to do whatever is requested. If you really are not interested in doing something and choose to say no, you are doing a disservice to the task, as you will not be giving it your all.

Feeling bad for saying no is a part of the culture we live in. It is a similar idea to the political correctness everyone tries so hard to honor. There is a flight of people that will try to manipulate you into saying yes in response to every request. Saying no is your right and nothing you should regret. For the most part you are the only person who will care enough to measure the cumulative cost of all the things you say yes to against the balance of time you can devote to it in your life.

To say no takes some practice, I must admit. But I have found by saying no, you cause others to grow. If the task you choose not to do is truly necessary, someone else with less skill may get the chance to spread their wings to accomplish it. In this way your choice benefits another and develops your discretionary abilities.

Learn more about this author, Joe Owens.
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