How to Say “No!”
Are you aware of the impact on your life? Spending time with people you don’t enjoy and doing things you’d rather not—what’s the reasoning behind it all?
There are complex answers to these questions, but in short, it boils down to FOMO (fear of missing out). We dread missing out on any experience. It’s akin to a tired child who keeps playing because they don’t want to miss a moment of fun, despite exhaustion.
We’re all familiar with essential tasks in life that we must complete, like eating, sleeping, working, and running errands. These are non-negotiable responsibilities, and I won’t discuss how to start declining them.
Similarly, in our daily lives, we often find ourselves pushing through tasks we don’t enjoy out of fear of missing out on opportunities we don’t even desire in the first place.
We all fall into these traps occasionally. Heck, I used to fall in love with them all the time. Here are a few guaranteed time-saving tips to help you decide if you should start saying no more often:
Tip 1: Assess your desires. Ask yourself if this task aligns with your wants or needs. If it does, don’t hesitate to say yes. Many times, we say yes out of obligation, like attending parties or traveling for work when it’s not necessary. We do these things because we feel we should or fear missing out on opportunities. Life’s too short; if it’s not something you truly want to do and it’s not crucial, then it’s okay to decline.
Tip 2: Ensure it drives progress. Every action we take should contribute to our overall advancement in some capacity. In the past, I fixated on money, believing it was the driving force. However, I later realized that what truly propelled me forward was helping others. I find immense joy in assisting others, and when I recognized that money was merely a byproduct of doing what I loved, my life took a significant turn. I gained more time to engage in activities that brought me genuine fulfillment, leveraging my expertise to positively impact others.
Tip 3: Evaluate alignment with your values and aspirations. Many times, I’ve agreed to tasks that didn’t align with my long-term goals. While I’ve been good at declining things that go against my morals, staying focused on end goals has been a challenge. The best way to gauge this is by setting clear goals for yourself, starting with personal objectives and extending to your business ambitions. If you need guidance on setting and achieving goals, check out our blog post, “Goals: How to Set and Achieve Any Goal!” Remember, if a task doesn’t bring you closer to your end goal, it’s best to decline.
Tip 4: Stay true to your priorities, regardless of who makes the request. If it doesn’t align with the previous tips, it’s best to decline. In the past, I’ve had mentors ask me for favors, and I would often agree without considering how it fit into my goals. Later, I realized that these tasks didn’t contribute to my progress; they merely made me look good to them.
For instance, someone once asked me to build a website for them. While I have the skills for it, it doesn’t align with my priorities. Despite this, I agreed, and within a week, the website was up. However, it didn’t meet my usual standards because my heart wasn’t fully invested. This brings us to the next point.
Tip 5: If your heart isn’t in it, say no. Building that website damaged my relationship with that mentor because I didn’t put in the effort needed to create a great website. I settled for the “this should work” mentality instead of giving it my all. If you’re not passionate about a project, it’s crucial to decline. My mentor expected a website similar to mine, which I had meticulously crafted over countless hours. By not putting my heart into the project, I disappointed him, and it took several months for our relationship to recover. My failure to say no and take on that website project caused unnecessary strain on our relationship.
Tip 6: Opportunities aren’t limited to one chance. The next few tips may seem contradictory, but they’re equally important. Some say opportunity knocks only once, and while there’s truth in that, it’s also crucial to be ready to seize an opportunity at a moment’s notice. If it’s meant for you, it will present itself again. I firmly believe that destiny has a way of ensuring the right opportunities find you—even if you initially miss the chance.
Constantly fearing that opportunities won’t reappear can lead to saying yes to everything that comes your way. That’s why it’s vital to revisit tips 1–5 to assess each opportunity and ensure it aligns with your passions and goals before committing.
Tip 6.5 might as well be called Tip 7 because it really contradicts Tip 6 so strongly! Don’t hold back when opportunity presents itself. It’s crucial to stay ahead of the game. Let’s imagine you dream of creating an online retail platform that offers everything under the sun, where anyone can sell their goods. Competitive pricing, fast shipping, a modest membership fee for priority service—you name it, you offer it. You’re probably thinking of a certain company right now: Amazon, of course. If you had this idea 20 years ago, when Amazon was just taking off, and you hesitated, you’d regret it now. There won’t be another Amazon, just like there won’t be another Walmart. While there may be similar stores, these giants have solidified their names. So, Tip 6.5 advises not to hesitate when opportunity knocks, but remember to align it with Tips 1–5 before diving headfirst.
Here are some tips to ensure that you don’t find yourself agreeing to everything that comes your way. We have many more tips to share, and I’m certain there are still more for us to discover. Sometimes, saying no is the best course of action. Give it a try—you might be pleasantly surprised by how much it propels you forward.
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