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    Yes Lives in the Land of No: A Tale of Triumph Over Negativity
    Yes Lives in the Land of No: A Tale of Triumph Over Negativity
    Yes Lives in the Land of No: A Tale of Triumph Over Negativity
    Ebook134 pages1 hour

    Yes Lives in the Land of No: A Tale of Triumph Over Negativity

    By BJ Gallagher and Steve Ventura

    2.5/5

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    About this ebook

    It seems like everywhere we turn, we're confronted by shaking heads, thumbs down, brick walls, brush-offs, and closed doors. NOs surround us--in our workplaces, in our communities and places of worship, in government, in social settings, in schools, and even within our families.
    Whether you're applying for a job, making a request, looking for a house, dating to find the right mate, seeking some type of approval, selling a product or an idea (or yourself), or trying to organize others into getting something accomplished, you're going to encounter rebuffs and resistance. What can you do to overcome so much negativity?
    This wise, insightful parable follows our hero who ventures into the Land of NO in search of YES. He watches well-intentioned characters flounder and fail--while noticing other characters using different approaches and achieving success. Our observant hero learns from others' experiences, as well as his own.
    Through his journey, you will discover how you, too, can persist in the face of frequent NOs--both the NOs uttered by people around you and, perhaps more importantly, the insidious NOs whispered by your own inner voices.
    The second half of the book takes you from parable to practice--with proven tips, tools, and strategies to help you persevere, develop tenacity, persist in the face of rejection, and overcome the inertia of the status quo. Taken together, the two parts of this book provide a how-to manual that's both practical and entertaining. It will help you find the YESes you seek--faster, more effectively, and with a lot less discouragement and despair in the process.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBerrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
    Release dateJun 7, 2006
    ISBN9781609944100
    Yes Lives in the Land of No: A Tale of Triumph Over Negativity

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    • 1/5
      This tiny book is overpriced as it under delivers. It has very few words and fewer fresh ideas. If you are surprised to learn that planning and persistence can be more effective than impatience and unpreparedness, then this is the book for you. If you are interested in the topic, you could read it while you drink your coffee at the book store.

    Book preview

    Yes Lives in the Land of No - BJ Gallagher

    Series

    Preface

    It’s no secret that we live in a world full of NOs. Seems like everywhere we turn, we’re confronted by shaking heads, thumbs down, brick walls, brush-offs, closed doors, and, of course, the NO word itself. NOs surround us — in our workplaces, in our communities and places of worship, in government, in social settings, in schools, and even within our families. Some days we wonder, Why bother? Trying to find happiness and success in this endless landscape of negativity is just too hard, it seems.

    But then we remember . . . there are also YESes out there among the many NOs. There are fewer YESes than NOs, to be sure, but usually all you need is one — the right one. Whether you’re applying for a job, making a request, looking for a house, dating to find the right mate, seeking some type of approval, selling a product or an idea (or yourself), or trying to organize others into getting something accomplished, you’re going to encounter many NOs. The challenge is: how do you persist and persevere in your quest for the YES that you know is out there somewhere?

    We have good news for you: Help has arrived!

    Think of this book as a personal travel guide for your journeys in the Land of NO. The first half is the tale of others’ adventures with negativity — some successes, some failures, and lots of lessons learned along the way. The second half offers a collection of tips, strategies, quizzes, and tools to help you find your own way through the Land of NO — at work and in your personal life. Taken together, the two parts of this book provide a how-to manual that’s both practical and entertaining. It will help you find the YESes you seek — faster, more effectively, and with a lot less discouragement and despair in the process.

    Read it and reap . . . great results!

    BJ Gallagher

    Steve Ventura

    March 2006

    Part I

    THE PARABLE

    The Land of NO

    is a discouraging place —

    populated by frowns

          and shrugs,

              scowls and

                  furrowed brows.

    Everyone is so solemn,

          so somber,

              so deadly serious,

    you’d think they were expecting

          the end of the world.

    If you have an idea,

          Naysayers point out

              how it will never work.

    If you’re looking for opportunity,

          doors are politely but firmly

              shut in your face.

    If a project excites you,

          a wet blanket is promptly dispatched.

    And heaven forbid

          you should dream of new possibilities!

    There are more than enough

          Soldiers of Stagnation

                  to trample your spirit.

    Despite all that,

          I keep traveling to

              the Land of NO —

    not because I love it so,

    but because of what I learned some time ago:

    The Land of NO

          is where YES lives.

    YES?

    Yes.

    YES lives in the Land of NO.

    It is a most curious thing,

          I’ve often thought

          and remarked to others,

    "how YES resides

          with all his Negative Neighbors."

    And it’s definitely a challenge

          to find YES at all

    in the midst of such

          Sorrowful Souls.

    How strange,

          how odd,

              how perplexing,

    and also

          how frustrating!

    So what’s a person to do —

    a person like me

          in search of YES?

    In the beginning,

    my forays into the Land of NO

    were dismal failures.

    I bumbled and fumbled,

          wobbled and bobbled.

    All those NOs really threw me.

    My intentions were good,

          my idealism high,

    but I was young,

          inexperienced,

              and naive.

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