Ray's Daily

Ray’s Daily

July 23, 2021

http://rays-daily.com

“The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.”

Tony Blair

Ray’s Daily first published on July 24, 2006

I am really fortunate; I have so many interesting things in my life. There is travel, learning experiences, writing to you all, service projects, meetings, the list gets pretty large sometimes and I get overloaded. I bet a lot of you do too. My problem is that I am not all that good at managing it all. For example this last week I was given four new opportunities to do something worthwhile, things I really would like to do, my problem is I don’t know if I can fit them all in, and if not what to give up.

I sometimes have a hard time saying no when someone asks me to do something, but for me it is even harder to know what to say no to. I use to try to decide by figuring out where I might be able to do the most good, but too often I found that what I agreed to do really was not my thing, so at least now I try to select things I will enjoy. Anyway that’s my problem not yours. But just in case, here are some ways to say no:

• I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF SEVERAL PROJECTS, let people know when you have accepted other responsibilities, no need to make excuses if you don’t have any free time, no one will fault you for having already filled your plate.
• I AM NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THAT, you might be uncomfortable with any of a number of issues, the people involved, the type of work, the morale implications, etc. this is a very respectful way to avoid a sticky situation.
• I AM NOT TAKING ON ANY NEW RESPONSIBILITIES, you aren’t saying that you will never help out again, just that you feel your schedule is as full as you would like now, understanding your limits is a talent to be expected.
• I AM NOT THE MOST QUALIFIED PERSON FOR THE JOB, if you don’t feel that you have adequate skills, that’s okay, it’s better to admit your limitations up front is the best way to avoid feeling overwhelmed down the road.
• I DO NOT ENJOY THAT KIND OF WORK, life isn’t about drudgery — if you don’t enjoy it, why do it? Don’t be afraid to let someone know you just don’t want too, someone else is bound to enjoy the work you don’t.
• I HAVE ANOTHER COMMITMENT, it doesn’t matter what the commitment is, it can even simply be time to yourself or with friends or family you don’t have to justify — you simply aren’t available.
• I NEED TO LEAVE SOME FREE TIME FOR MYSELF, it’s okay to be selfish — in a good way! Treat your personal time like any other appointment block off time in your calendar and guard it with your life.
• I WOULD RATHER DECLINE THAN DO A MEDIOCRE JOB, know when you aren’t going to be able to deliver a quality product the reason doesn’t matter — not enough time, wrong skills, etc. whatever the reason is enough for turning a request down.

Of course these don’t help me with what to say no to, and I really don’t like it when I find that a flip of the coin does a better job than I do. But the nice thing about the coin flip is you don’t have to spend too much time analyzing. So here goes, heads…no…no…I mean tails….ok two out of three then………

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“Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.”

 W. Clement Stone

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Paddy was driving down the street in a sweat because he had an important meeting and couldn’t find a parking place.

Looking up to heaven he said, “Lord take pity on me. If you find me a parking place I will go to Mass every Sunday for the rest of me life and give up me Irish Whiskey”.

Miraculously, a parking place appeared.

Paddy looked up again and said, “Never mind, I found one.”

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Learn to write your hurts in sand. Learn to carve your blessings in stone!

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How to Lie to the Bathroom Scales

1. Weigh yourself with clothes on, after dinner…as well as in the morning, without clothes, before breakfast, because it’s nice to see how much weight you’ve lost overnight.  

2. Never weigh yourself with wet hair.  

3. When weighing, remove everything, including glasses. In this case, blurred vision is an asset. Don’t forget the earrings, these things can weigh at least a pound.  

4. Use cheap scales only, never the medical kind, because they are always five pounds off…to your advantage, of course.  

5. Always go to the bathroom first.  

6. Stand with arms raised, making pressure on the scale lighter. (Waving them is optional but occasionally helps!)  

7. Don’t eat or drink in the morning until AFTER you’ve weighed in, completely naked, of course.  

8. Weigh yourself after a haircut, this is good for at least half a pound of hair (hopefully).  

9. Exhale with all your might BEFORE stepping onto the scale (air has to weigh something, right?)  

10. Start out with just one foot on the scale, then holding onto the towel rack in front of you, slowly edge your other foot on and slowly let off of the rack. Admittedly, this takes time, but it’s worth it. You will weigh at least two pounds less than if you’d stepped on normally.  

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The best auto safety device is a rearview mirror with a police car in it.

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There was a small town nestled in a valley which was powered by a dam. One day, the dam broke and flooded the valley. Naturally everyone headed for higher ground. Once everyone reached higher ground, they began scanning the area for people or animals who needed help.  

After a few hours of looking it seemed that every one was safe, except that there was this little straw hat that would bob down stream about a 50 yards and then bob back up stream 50 yards. It would then move to the side and bob down stream and then back up stream… It kept repeating this.  

Nobody could figure out why it was doing this. After awhile of pondering this, a young boy recalled his Granddad saying that come hell or high water he was going to get the lawn mowed.  

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A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.

Elbert Hubbard

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A minister in a little church had been having trouble with the collections.

One Sunday he announced, “Now, before we pass the collection plate, I would like to request that the person who stole the chickens from Brother Martin’s hen house please refrain from giving any money to the Lord. The Lord doesn’t want money from a thief!”

The collection plate was passed around, and for the first time in months everybody gave.

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There’s one thing about baldness…..it’s neat.

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From British Newspapers

Commenting on a complaint from a Mr. Arthur Purdey about a large gas bill, a spokesman for North West Gas said, “We agree it was rather high for the time of year. It’s possible Mr. Purdey has been charged for the gas used up during the explosion that destroyed his house.” (The Daily Telegraph)  

Irish police are being handicapped in a search for a stolen van, because they cannot issue a description. It’s a Special Branch vehicle and they don’t want the public to know what it looks like. (The Guardian)  

At the height of the gale, the harbourmaster radioed the coastguard and asked them to estimate the wind speed. They replied they were sorry, but they didn’t have a gauge. However, if it was any help, the wind had just blown his Land Rover off the cliff. (Aberdeen Evening Express)  

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I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read and all the friends I want to see.

John Burroughs

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Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than twenty years to people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@comcast.net. Back issues are posted at http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are hundreds of  readers from around the world.