How to Create a Personal Manifesto

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Personal policies are simple rules that give voice to your values and priorities, impressances and beliefs. For example, every time I take my first sip of coffee in the morning, I just stop and be grateful for the day. You could also have decision rules such as not taking red eyes lights because you don't function very well with them. So, these are shortcuts that we can put in place that just ease the way we make our decisions but also lead us to be happier and enhance well-being in the long run.

Saying no can seem risky. We worry about offending others, damaging relationships, or hurting our own reputation. But as Vanessa Patrick says, no is an empowering word that gives us greater agency in our lives.

Saying no “is not a rejection of the other person,” says Patrick, a professor of Marketing at the University of Houston. Instead, it allows you to set boundaries and “[give] voice to what you believe and what you care about.” In her book, The Power of Saying No, Patrick introduces what she calls “empowered refusal,” a way of saying no that’s rooted in one’s identity, values, priorities, and preferences. “An empowered no,” she says, “is about us, not a rejection of the other person.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Patrick and host Matt Abrahams explore how to use the power of no, how to move from strategy forming to strategy implementation, and how to resist momentary pleasures that distract us from our larger goals.

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