Are you the type of person who always says “yes”? I’ve come to learn that it is very important to learn to say “no”. It’s okay. People are still going to like you. They may even respect you more because they know you are honest.

I’m not saying to say “no” to someone who really needs your help. I’m talking about turning down that meeting that you really do not want to attend or that birthday party that you don’t want to be a guest at.

Think for a moment how you feel when you say “yes” to something that you really don’t want to do. If you’re like I once was, you can’t sleep at night and you think about it too much. It weighs on your mind. You try to find ways out. Whatever you’re saying to yourself, if you really wanted to go, you wouldn’t have all of these thoughts.

So, why not just say “no” from the beginning？Maybe you feel like if you don’t show up at the meeting (by the way, it is not one you must attend), your boss isn’t going to like you or your co­workers won’t respect you. Maybe you feel as if your mom, dad or sisters won’t love you as much if you don’t do everything for them what they ask every occasion.

If these people are your true friends, family members, or a good boss, they will like or love you the same no matter what. People treat you the way you teach them to, and if you’re someone who always says “yes”, then that’s what they’re expecting.

You need to do what is right for you. Of course we do have real obligations in life to fulfill, but we do not have to do everything others want us to do.

Larry Ellison came from the slums to co-found Oracle.

Larry Ellison was born on the Lower East Side of New York during World War II, back when that district was still poor and filled with immigrants striving to survive. At an early age, Ellison caught pneumonia(肺炎) and was sent to the South Side of Chicago to live with relatives. Despite these obstacles, he was able to educate himself and join Software Development Laboratories, in 1977.

This was an important move, because in 1982 the company became Oracle. This is a company that brings in $38 billion every single year, and along the way, Ellison — who stepped down(辞职) as CEO in 2014 — managed to accumulate over $46.2 billion in net worth(净值).

Zdenek Bakala flees Communist Czechoslovakia with $50.

Zdenek Bakala happens to be one of the leading coal entrepreneurs in the United States. Originally from Czechoslovakia, he fled that country when he was just 19. He arrived in Lake Tahoe with just $50 in his pocket. Once there, he got a job washing dishes at Harrah’s casino.

Fast-forward a few years: Bakala attended the famous University of California-Berkeley and acquired his undergraduate degree. That higher education gained him entry into the banking world. And returning to his homeland, in 1994 he opened the Credit Suisse office in Prague.

Due to his enormous wealth, Bakala has managed to acquire huge shares in both coal and iron ore, which he still holds to this day.

Do Won Chang worked three jobs to survive.

Do Won Chang is the famous face behind Forever 21, who immigrated to the United States from South Korea, in 1981. Before he founded Forever 21, he worked three jobs simultaneously(同时地), as a gas station clerk, a janitor(守卫) and a coffee shop employee. That period lasted for three years before he founded the company and opened its first clothing store, in 1984.

This family business grew quickly by taking advantage of the benefits of "fast fashion". Forever 21 is now multi-national and has 480 locations across the world. It has also managed to bring in $3 billion per year. And the next generation has been taken into the company, as Chang has brought his two daughters on board.