Happy Thursday, my money nerds, and welcome back to Apex Money. Today’s stories aren’t directly related to money, but applying their lessons could help you become a better, more successful person. And that, in turn, could lead to financial success. Take a look.
How to say “no”. [Robert Glazer] — “I regularly get 10+ requests for my time every week and often reach a breaking point. There are many times when I can’t and don’t want to take on anything new, so I decided to try saying no using a format inspired by Ferriss. Here’s an example of the kind of response letter I sent.”
“I learned to talk less and listen more.” [Shondaland] — “‘You might be passionate about a topic and therefore interrupt the other person because you just can’t hold it in,’ says Ximena Vengoechea, a user researcher and author of Listen Like You Mean It. But she tells me that when we interrupt someone, we miss the chance to understand the other person. While they may appreciate your enthusiasm, they could be gearing up to ask you for help.” [I’ve been actively working to improve my listening skills. It’s difficult.]
How to slow down time. [Rich in What Matters] — “Time moves as fast as you let it. And, by succumbing to society-promoted hyper living, I was letting it run on warp speed. To live intentionally, I had to slow down and let go. Decelerating the speed of your life has a slowing effect on time. But to optimize the deceleration, you also have to let go.”
That’s all I have for you today. I’ll be back tomorrow with one final installment of Apex Money before we head into the weekend…