Table of Contents

1.     Attitude Determines Altitude

"Who Says You Can’t"...

Connect attitude and behaviour. This chapter explores realities about attitiudes and the influence attitude has on behaviour. Making a conscious decision to choose your behaviour can dramatically affect outcomes.

"Attitudes are contageous... is yours worth catching?"

2.     Assertiveness is a Choice

"Who Says You Can’t"...

Communicate assertively. There is a definite link among assertiveness, confidence and esteem. Assertiveness is sometimes a difficult choice because it involves accepting responsibiliy for your message and the outcome.

"Assertiveness puts you in charge of you."

3.     The Power of Personal Behaviour

"Who Says You Can’t"...

Identify your preferred and authentic communication choices. This will provide you with the knowledge to better understand, respect, recognize and appreciate the differences in others and to focus on the strengths’ others bring to the team.

"When you understand yourself, it makes others more understandable."

4.      Position Yourself Positively For Change

"Who Says You Can’t"...

Embrace change and discover opportunities. Change can be stressful and emotionally draining or change can be positive and motivating. You have many choices when it comes to change and this chapter delves into getting support and acceptance for change before ensuring the quality aspect of change.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing it with new eyes."

5.      Talk Smart and Listen With Purpose

"Who Says You Can’t"...

Master the art of the spoken word. There are 7 factors that must be present for communication to be effective and this chapter explores those points in detail. Other factors such as the words, the interpretation, the different points of view, hearing what is said and active listening are part of the communication process. The but/however syndrome, the use of the pronoun "I" and the power of self-disclosure all contribute to talking smart and listening with purpose.

"Be interesting by being interested."

6.      Smarter Ways

"Who Says You Can’t"...

Employ smarter ways to accomplish goals. Smarter ways is a written commitment to yourself regarding what you need and want to accomplish. The acronym SMARTER defines the criteria and one huge benefit in employing smarter ways is that you will be able to recognize and take advantage of an opportunity, that might have gone unnoticed. Smarter ways is about creating your own positive future.

"To listen actively, you must listen without rejecting what is said."

7.      Flying Saucers

"Who Says You Can’t"...

Recognize zooming saucers looking to land. Flying saucers are all the things that people get you to do that are not yours to do. This chapter looks at ways to recognize a flying saucer and gives you the assertive communication tools you will need to successfully deflect a flying saucer. Flying saucers can emerge from the workplace and from your personal life They are everywhere there are people and things to do. One known fact…most people run out of time long before they run out of things to do.

"The bad news, times flies. The good news, you’re the pilot."

8.      Strive and Thrive in Stress

"Who Says You Can’t"...

Manage your responses to stress.Not all stress is negative. In fact, some stress is good for us. Recognizing that it is not the situation itself that is stressful, but it is individual perceptions and responses that can make a situation stressful. There are 4 stages of stress and unless we have some "plateauing" time, positive stressors can quickly lead to distress, which can quickly lead to affecting your health, happiness and well being.

"Sometimes it seems like everything falls apart on the same day."

9.      De-Clutter Your Life

"Who Says You Can’t"...

Banish pesky piles and mental clutter. The saying "less is more" is the basis for this chapter. There are 10 things you need to know about "stuff" such as…stuff breeds stuff and stuff loves dust. We focus on three main areas of life, namely physical, personal and emotional, and provide you with concrete tips to de-clutter your life. A main theme running through this chapter is that we can conquer only by attacking. Tips like the 20 minute clean –up and Grandma’s 1 hour solution provide you with the tools to de-clutter your life.

"Downsize your clutter... upsize your spaces and spirits."

10.      Live Your Life Like You Really Mean It

"Who Says You Can’t"...

Celebrate everyday what really matters. So many of us are waiting for the perfect time to do something, the perfect occasion to wear something, the perfect opportunity to take a chance…there is no perfect time…the time is now. Learning to introduce a feeling of celebration into your life everyday is a celebration in itself. In this chapter, the Daffodil Story is the very best way to define celebration and the very best way to end our book.

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."

Dear Reader,

Our book is the culmination of over 25 years worth of experience gained by each of us as two successful people in the business world. The concepts and ideas we share with you are fundamental principles to guide you in today’s changing world. We have gained this knowledge through everyday living, reading books, listening to friends and making mistakes. Carol has tested these concepts, with extremely positive results, before live audiences during her numerous speaking and training engagements.

Many of us get caught in the hectic rush of our work and home lives. This book will help you, the reader, step back a little, and put into place some of the tried and true tools of assertive communication and organization that will allow you to gain control over your life. This book will assist you in establishing your own personality type, understanding your attitude, learning to deal with stress, simplifying your life to living life like you really mean it. Whether you are looking to solve a pressing personal problem or are eager to be more effective at work, the principles presented in “Who Says you Can’t?” are universal and can be applied to every aspect of your life.

Our book is rich with examples from our own working and family lives written with humour, gentle encouragement, and a light touch.

It has been our goal to pass on the quintessential points in each subject area, creating a stand-alone, interactive reference guide to what really matters for a successful life.

“Who Says You Can’t?” is not just a book to read….it’s a book to use.

Keep it close and use it often.

Have fun reading our book. We had fun writing it.

Best Regards,

Carol Lesbirel and Julie Ann Wilton