What’s harder for you: to say “No” or to hear “No?” It's a word I've tried to strike from my vocabulary, and I tend to take it as a challenge when I hear it from someone else. (“What do you mean we can’t do this? I’ll show you!”) And yet, lately I am trying to think of “No” as a tool for making sure I can say “Yes” to the commitments I’ve already made. "No" can also be a source of useful information. When a client or a colleague says "No," that tells me the timing for the idea may be wrong or perhaps I haven't sold it well enough. Sometimes "No" means "Not now" rather than "Never." Sometimes "No" helps us pause and rethink our priorities. You could say I'm trying to say "Yes" to occasionally saying "No." …see more