called \u201cBest Books for Business.\u201d<\/a> Stay tuned for more!<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\nI currently have four books and a Kindle on my nightstand, and I\u2019m pretty sure there\u2019s at least one book in every room of our house. Yet I don\u2019t consider myself an avid reader. Maybe I\u2019m too distracted, or maybe life is just plain busy. Whatever the case, when I sit down with a book, it has to capture my attention right away, lest it remain on the nightstand collecting dust, or I plop it into the Goodwill pile.<\/p>\n
Last week, I sorted through the nonfiction shelves in our bedroom and parted with more than a dozen books. My rule? If I hadn\u2019t read or returned to it in a while, it was time to say goodbye.<\/p>\n
The books that remain aren\u2019t trendy. They\u2019re filled with timeless wisdom that can be applied whether I\u2019m at a board meeting, a client\u2019s office, the neighbor\u2019s, house or the dinner table.<\/p>\n
One of those\u2014a small, red paperback\u2014is Say Yes to No: Using the Power of No to Create the Best in Life, Work, and Love<\/em> by Greg Cootsona. When I first read it, I dog-eared pages, underlined sentences, and scribbled a \u201cto do\u201d list on the first page. I knew it was a keeper.<\/p>\nIn his introduction, Cootsona offers a word of hope. Though he once was on the brink of job burnout, marital distress, depression, and other major health issues, he learned the power of a certain two-letter word.<\/p>\n
The Power of No<\/h2>\n Chapter one opens with the story of Michelangelo\u2019s statue of David. When an admirer asked the great sculptor how he achieved such an amazing work of art, Michelangelo replied with this strikingly simple description: \u201cFirst, he said, I fixed my attention on the slab of raw marble. I studied it, sketched a few simple pencil drawings on it, and then \u2018chipped away at all that wasn\u2019t David.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Has it really been six years since the mailman delivered the cardboard box with the well-timed book? Remarkably, those words are as meaningful today as they were then.<\/p>\n
The book was published well before the proliferation of smart phones and social media, yet I\u2019m in desperate need of the author\u2019s advice on \u201cRestricting Technology\u2019s Reach.\u201d In chapter three, he lists ten steps to loosen technology\u2019s grip around the airways of our lives.<\/p>\n
The words of step one hit a little too close for comfort. \u201cStep One: Realize that technology can obscure our view of the stars.\u201d Cootsona explains that a lantern lights our way in the dark, gives us a sense of safety, but it also obscures our view of the stars. So it is with Facebook. I can connect with friends I haven\u2019t seen since my high school graduation nearly thirty years ago, at the exclusion of connecting with our own children down the hallway.<\/p>\n
An Unexpected Beginning<\/h2>\n Ironically, the section on work begins with the mention of Sabbath. Cootsona defines Sabbath as \u201cgrabbing time to rest from obligation.\u201d One underlined section once again jumps off the page: \u201cEdit what you have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Too often, I want the work of \u201cNo\u201d to be easy; when the going gets tough, I settle for comfortable chaos. During those times, I need an expectation adjustment, and Cootsona delivers. \u201cEditing is tough work\u2014removing that favorite beer stein from Oktoberfest from the mantel or realizing the 1970\u2019s brown velour love seat no longer works in the new color scheme. It feels tough to let go and even like we\u2019re walking backward, but it\u2019s necessary for designing an attractive home and an excellent and beautiful life.\u201d<\/p>\n
This weekend, I\u2019ll cull through the rest of the books in our bedroom. I\u2019ll practice saying \u201cNo\u201d to the trendy editions, in favor of books with timeless principles.<\/p>\n
Like the small, red paperback.<\/p>\n
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Cheryl Smith never met a stranger, is fascinated by garbage trucks, vineyards, and flower gardens, and enjoys evenings on the deck with loved ones.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Cheryl Smith; part of a series at TheHighCalling.org called \u201cBest Books for Business.\u201d Stay tuned for more! I currently have four books and a Kindle on my nightstand, and I\u2019m pretty sure there\u2019s at least one book in every room of our house. Yet I don\u2019t consider myself an avid reader. Maybe I\u2019m too […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1712,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[265,264,267,266],"class_list":["post-418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-reviews","tag-balance","tag-hope","tag-self-discipline","tag-technology"],"yoast_head":"\n
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