![yes-2069852_1280.png](https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/QmP9Ri2KahFNKHkwG4zXK4pZchU7YE2Vg66gBrD5wTeYbX)

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in the late 90s and was just beginning to turn the ship around for the company, he said something about 'focus' at an event that has inspired millions of people since then. 

He has always had pretty wise things to say but this one really hits the nail on its head because it relates to everyone's lives, especially in the world full of noise and distractions that we live in today. 

What he said was, "People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully."

Doesn't this hit home? Isn't this an eye-opener? It sure was for me when I first heard it years back. I realized what I was doing wrong and what everyone does wrong in their path to success. 

# Say NO
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We are all taught from a very young age that we should focus on what we want to achieve. In school, it was about learning and getting good grades. As a grown-up, it's about building a solid career and earning enough money. 

Of course, success means different for different people but the rule of thumb was to focus on what you want to achieve. Well, in our day to day life, we realize that it isn't that easy. There are a million things that divert our attention. Whether it be other ideas, people, social media, fear, anxiety, laziness or any of the other countless things. 

What we never learned was how to say no. We waste so much of our time dwelling on things and people that do not align with our path and our goals. This veers us off course or worse, completely stops us in our tracks.

We need to learn to say a stern no to everything and everyone that hold us back from achieving our dreams. Life is really short and every moment matters. If we don't wake up at the right time, we'll be left with regret in our later years and there's nothing worse than that.