Otto did several workshops on living your natural genius for larger corporations in the past years. In these workshops he asked every participant for their opinion of the words YES and NO. The result wasn't much surprising. Most people have positive associations with the word YES and negative associations with the word NO. This is a very common perception, but does it really represent the truth? If you ask me: NO.

 The ability to say NO to discouragement, distraction and other negative influences is essential for being successful - especially for smart people. Here is why: Smart people can think through certain scenarios in a split of a second. They can come up with new brilliant business ideas every day. They can think through all the details of their ideas in a very short period of time. Their brain can think in a complexity and brilliance that is very impressive to anyone who listens to them. But guess what, their brilliance is their downfall if they don't know how to say NO. Even though a smart person can think up the most brilliant scenarios in a second, it usually takes them much more than a second to implement their ideas and success lies in implementation and follow-through.

 Most smart people who have never learned the effective use of the word NO fall into the trap of jumping from one idea to the next while never staying long enough with one of them to really succeed. Once you accept your genius you accept the responsibility that comes with it. It's the responsibility to focus and to go all the way with your capabilities. It also means to say NO to jumping from one idea to the next because it stops or sidetracks you.

 Saying NO to distractions is the only strategy that will keep you focused. Saying NO to discouragement is the only strategy that will keep your attitude positive. Saying NO to doubts is the only strategy that will allow you to go beyond you comfort zone.

If you look at highly successful people you can recognize that they had to say NO over and over again to be able to accomplish what they have. Albert Einstein had to say NO to his father and to his teachers who were urging him to get a practical profession and not to pursue an academic career so we could benefit from his genius.

 Tiger Woods had to say NO to all the distractions that come with being famous so he wouldn't be like so many others who are famous for a moment but not for a life time. Do the first step today and learn how to become an expert in saying NO to distractions, doubts and discouragement so you can let your genius catapult you to a level of success that you haven't experienced.