The difference between successful people and...

photo by Jake Grella

“The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.” —Warren Buffet

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What would happen if you said ‘no’ to the next request someone asked of you?

Seriously take a moment to answer this question for yourself.

Let’s think of the last request someone made of you that you said yes to but wish you’d said no to:

What would have happened if you’d said ‘no’?

Would the world have ended?

Would you have lost your house? Your best friend? Your job?

Would everyone in your community throw stones in your direction whilst yelling, ‘Shame…shame!’ as you went by?

Stop saying ‘yes’ to everyone

When I first started my graphic design business, I said yes to every project that came my way.

I was afraid to say no.

I was afraid if I turned down a job, that another one would never come.

I worked so many long hours that first year that I developed neck and shoulder problems that required more than a year of physical therapy to correct.

In trying to figure out how to simplify my business and scale back my work…

I noticed that I hated doing certain types of design. For instance, I think I’m a pretty terrible logo designer. I can do it, but I hate the process — it doesn’t come naturally to me, so it’s ‘painful.’

After realizing this…

One day someone asked me to design a logo for them. I told them logo design wasn’t my zone of genius, but I’d be happy to build their website when they were ready.

Guess what? A few months later, they hired me to build their website!

Saying ‘yes’ to requests you know you really don’t want to do will only leave you feeling stretched too thin, burnt-out, and resentful — then, everything you do is mediocre.

You’re not mediocre.

You’re awesome!

So prove it!

You’ll be surprised at the new opportunities that come your way when you say ‘no’ to the things that don’t light you up!

This applies to your personal life as well.

Or perhaps, I should say, it especially applies to your personal life.

If you say yes to that neighborhood committee but then feel resentful and overtired doing the work, you’re spreading yourself too thin.

Or that good friend who wants you to watch her kids on Saturday….?

What are you a 15-year-old girl looking for lip gloss money?

The answer is ‘no’ — “I love your kids… but I don’t babysit.”

Let’s get down to it:

What is one thing you’d like to start saying ‘no’ to today?

What are you afraid will happen if you say ‘no’ to this thing?

And most importantly…write this one down:

What will you do with the extra time?

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(fill in the blank, my Dear!)

Now, let’s plan ahead… role-play time!

The next time someone asks you to do [a thing that you’d rather not do], what exactly will you say instead of ‘yes’?

?

?

?

Be ready… because you WILL be asked many times in this life, to do something that you do not want to do.

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