The Power of No. This is a book about taking back control of your life. A substantial number of us have spent most of our lives subconsciously or otherwise giving up our power to others around us much to our own detriment. Taking back control of your life is another means of gaining back your personal power. James and Claudia Altucher have written this book to serve as a blueprint for reclaiming that power of ours back. All with the selective and judicious use of the simple word, no.
James and Claudia share with us their ideas on the application and use of No through seven chapters. Highlights of each chapter are shared here.
Chapter One: The No That Choses Life
Devoted to learning how to say no to stress, to taking your own life, your emotional life, to avoid disease, learning how to navigate away from negative chatter, and how to pick yourself up from rock bottom. James shares his own compelling story of plummeting from lofty financial heights to rock bottom and the aftermath.
Chapter Two: The No That Brings True Love, Creativity and Abundance
I loved the quote from the Altucher’s in this chapter which is: “ If we have crappy people around, we have a crappy life.” With this quote in mind, a second quote carries the though further: “Reconsider who you call your friends, lovers and partners. You could be surprised. Because if you don’t say no to crappy people, your life will go down the drain.”
Chapter Three: The No to Phony Storytelling
One topic taken up in this chapter speaks to the danger of allowing others to make our choices for us who themselves are unhappy about many things in their own lives.
Other topics are saying no to being a slave for others, plotting your escape from the 9 to 5 world, and, finally, taking steps to getting healthy, getting well, getting inspired, and getting knowledgable.
The Altuchers inform us that complaining is draining. By disciplining yourself to eliminate complaining (if that is what you are prone to do) from your daily behavior. With regard to complaining, this is what they had to say: “Complaining sucks the air out of any new possibilities that may appear in the present moment; it drags things down into a depressive mode and leaves us drained.”
Thought attacks: The average person experiences up to 70,000 thoughts a day.
Learn how to say No to social pressure. That social pressure is countered with what the authors call ABC. Acknowledge, Boundary, Close. This is a means of politely but firmly shutting down those who are trying to overload you or who make unreasonable demands upon you and your time.
A no to abusive people primarily means avoiding them altogether, or, removing yourself from their spheres of influence.
Chapter Four: The No to the Angers of the Past
No’s listed here include the following examples.
The application of a compassionate no. The example given here would be like the Highway Patrol officer at the scene of a horrific accident who gently but firmly prevents a mother from approaching the crushed vehicles and witnessing the mangled remains of a husband, a son or a daughter. Compassionately preventing another from witnessing an unspeakable horror.
No to mindless selfishness. Consider treating everyone else as if it’s their last day.
Saying no to lies; to the costume ball masks of life that we all learn to select and put on from childhood onward. Look outward for others that are true to themselves on the inside. Just like you are evolving to be. These are the kinds of folks that may well be . your new tribe.
Chapter Five: The No to Scarcity
In order to counter scarcity one must take up the belief in abundance. Believe in it first and then it will come.
Getting unstuck. Here the Altuchers offer a nine step guide to getting unstuck by turning the flywheel of forward progress.
Practice the art of listening to others with an open heart. All people are drawn to those who are good patient listeners.
Chapter Six: The No to Noise
The opening quote to this chapter is a great one. “You have the right to silence and be fully present, here and now.”
Identify the noise and distractions in your life and set out to minimize or eliminate them.
Consider adding Yoga to your regimen to help you focus and become grounded. This is Claudia Altucher’s area of expertise.
Chapter Seven: The No to “Me”
We are not our thoughts (refer back to the thought attacks in Chapter Three).
The benefits of cultivating silence are: trust, value, time saved, mystique, observation, more brain energy, less web to untangle, and, less stress.
I enjoyed reading this book because the solutions and exercises offered within are imaginative, make sense and liberally laced with humor and wit. The Power of No is real world grounded with personal, shared stories of failures as well as successes that the duo author couple have lived through. The Power of No is clever, candid and what is presented within is all doable!
The Web page for James Altucher are: www.jamesaltucher.com (The Altucher Confidential). Web pages for Claudia Azula Altucher are: www.claudiayoga.com and www.earthyogi.blogspot.com
Jeff Dodson
September 30th 2014
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are unbiased and reflect my honest judgment of the product.
