Learning to say "no" may be the most important personal, professional or leadership development tool one can have.

The more experience I get in life the more I learn the importance of personal development. And, one of the most important aspects of personal development I have learned is the unique and rare skill of being able to say “No”.

In fact, learning to say no may be the most important personal, professional or leadership development tool one can have.

We have lots of opportunities to say yes. The old saying, whether it’s doctrinally true or not is fully practically true. “If Satan can’t make you bad he’ll make you busy”. I’ve seen throughout my life, especially with my personality wiring for achievement, that if I’m not careful I will say yes to things God has never planned for me to do and often I’m not capable or the best person to do them.

Does that ever happen to you?

Saying no, as hard as it is for some of us, comes with great reward:

• Saying no is the power to help resist temptation…
• Saying no keeps you from the stress of overcommitting…
• Saying no protects family life…
• Saying no provides adequate time for what matters most…
• Saying no preserves energy levels for prioritized work…
• Saying no allows others opportunities they wouldn’t have if you always say yes…
• Saying no permits you to control your schedule for an ultimate good…

The value of learning when to say no, and actually practicing it, is immeasurable. (I’m sure you could add even more values to my list but I’m kind of stuck on the number 7.)

I highly encourage learning the power of “No.”