How 'No" Can be a Good Thing Part 2

I have to admit that it's one of the things of life that really rubs me the wrong way. Yet I have been unable to really figure out why people do it. I will spend some time to compose a message I intend to send to people via email. Now I know this is dangerous because it has now been several years since email became the most effective yet ineffective means of communication. It is a struggle at times just to get past the automatic deletion or the spam filter but for the sake of this argument let's say we have made it that far. The email requests a response from the person on the receiving end. I could be seeking additional information or a simple yes or no. But there is no response. A couple of days pass and resend the email, usually it has been rewritten it and reduced its size making it even easier for them to respond. Still nothing. I have a rule about three times are a charm. I tell the person on the receiving end that I will quit bothering them if they just tell me they are not interested in what I am presenting. In other words, I want them to tell me, "NO". There is no question this would enhance the communication process and it would save a whole lot of time. But the lack of response is down right rude. I am sure you have all experienced it at one point or another. You are left hanging and the frustration just builds and builds. The key is to have some backbone. It is okay to tell someone no. It won't hurt them. It doesn't hurt me. But to try to simply avoid the issue hoping it will go away demonstrates a lack of maturity and courage. So the next time someone ask you for a yes or a no, have the courtesy to answer them and to do so quickly. You will be better off and so will the other person. Now I feel better:)

How "No" Can Be a Good Thing. Part 1

You have to admit it is a simple word yet it carries a powerful meaning. Those two letters in that order mean rejection for most people. It could be rejection of an idea or project. It could be rejection of an emotion as happens so often between men and women. It is especially difficult on the young who often times figuratively go off a cliff when someone they are close to rejects them. I can still remember that first crushing time I heard it from a girl in high school who I was dating at the time. I thought the world would come to an end. It's now 36 years later and the world has not come to an end. The word has not hurt me even though I have heard it innumerable times since then including in the situation that resulted in the end of my first marriage. But this little two letter word is actually a character builder. I firmly believe that every time it is heard, whether it is for a little thing or something of major consequence, the word NO can become a personal character builder. Every time I am rejected, for whatever reason, I make the effort to analyze the "no". Was it something I said during the presentation of my idea that caused the other person or group to be turned off to it? Did I go into the situation unprepared and came across that way? Was I over the top in the presentation and that is what turned people off to the idea? Regardless, I take time to to learn from the "no" so that in the future I have more of an opportunity to hear the word "yes". This is not to say that every time you hear the word "no" that you can do something to turn that particular situation around. It's possible from time to time and depends largely on the circumstances you are in that led to the "no" in the first place. But what I am saying is that hearing the word "no" in most cases presents a tremendous learning opportunity for personal growth and development. I believe that is a lot better than thinking the world is going to come to an end. Part two of "No Can be a Good Thing will be posted no later than Thursday.