Just Say No!
Recently, I was engaged in a discussion over e-mail with a group of friends. The instigator of the discussion was presented a business opportunity at a good value, but was having a difficult time deciding whether or not to get involved because it wasn’t passive, that is, it would take some of his time.
I understand my friend’s conundrum: it was good opportunity, but time is so precious because in the busy rat race of America we’re all so overbooked, overscheduled, overextended and overcommitted.
Then, I was reminded of this post by Derek Sivers:
Those of you who often over-commit or feel too scattered may appreciate a new philosophy I’m trying:
If I’m not saying “HELL YEAH!” about something, then say no.
Meaning: When deciding whether to commit to something, if I feel anything less than, “Wow! That would be amazing! Absolutely! Hell yeah!” – then my answer is no.
When you say no to most things, you leave room in your life to really throw yourself completely into that rare thing that makes you say “HELL YEAH!”
We’re all busy. We’ve all taken on too much. Saying yes to less is the way out.
…
In other words: No more “yes”. It’s either “HELL YEAH!” or “no”.
And, another friend made this wise comment:
Close the door on small opportunities in order to focus on the big ones.