Tell me what you want - I'm highly unlikely to call you back if you call out of blue and leave a voicemail like "this is Joe, call me". Unless I already know what you want (or suddenly develop telepathy) I am not going to return your call.

Be brief - Don't leave a fifteen minute message. I can guarantee you that unless you are my wife or a rich uncle leaving me a million dollars I will have erased it long before. If you've got something long winded to say then presumably you've done business with me before, so send me an email instead.

Give me information in order - Tell me who you are first, then, if necessary, what company you work with. Now tell me your phone number, then tell me what you want. That's best way to get me to return your call.

Tell me phone number slowly - The best thing to do with a phone number is say it slowly. A second between each digit is best. This gives me time to write down number. Also, don't mumble your phone number. Speak it clearly and precisely. It's also a good idea to repeat at end of message just to make sure I've got it.

Generally, as I said at beginning of this article, I will not even attempt to return phone calls unless they follow these rules. And believe me, it does not take long to "train" regular callers - they want me to call them back.

Follow these suggestions and you will get a prompt call back with answers or service that you need. This saves everyone time, which improves our productivity.

6. Make room for positive things Letting go frees up room for bigger and better things. Emotionally, you can focus on positives.

7. Form a great habit The more you become aware of importance of letting go, easier it will be to do it. Once you form habit, life will be much more effortless.

8. Others will appreciate it When you're not constantly controlling someone or something - you become more authentic and relationships will improve.

9. You find out more about yourself When you're not busy fixing someone else, you have more time to fix yourself!! You can explore and get to know yourself. Remember, only thing we can truly control is our own thoughts and actions!

10. Have fun Once you've established a habit of letting go, you'll see just how much fun you can have with life!!

© Monique Rider 2001