Entrepreneur Business Tip –
All day long I will tell anyone who is listening that Seth Godin is a hero of mine and a total genius. Why? Because he is passionate, real and is a truth teller. I love his style of ‘tell it like it is’ and he’s not too big to share the love. Every time I reach out to him he replies immediately. His blog post today (reposted below) is about saying yes. I totally agree with him and it reminded me that I should share how important it is to say NO! and why.
I am great at the no. I say this as a recovering work-a-holic. I used to say yes to everything, constantly distracted by the next opportunity, possibility and shiny squirrel. I have recovered from that and now am very comfortable saying no. Here is the thing I learned. By saying no I honor myself, my time and the person on the other side of the ask because I don’t over book and let them down. On the flip side when I do say yes the person asking feels extra good because they know it is meaningful and it matters. To get my yes is a privilege and those who receive it don’t take it lightly or for granted. That is a respectful win win to all.
Seth’s Post:
Instant yes
The other day, a friend asked me for a favor. I gave him an instant yes.
The instant yes is precious. It’s earned, it doesn’t last forever, it’s easily abused.
Not the yes of, “I’ll look it over and if it makes sense or fits in my calendar or is profitable then of course, I’ll do it,” but the yes of, “yes.”
Do you want to try our daily special, it’s really good? Do you want to see my new project proposal? Will you come to this event I’m holding? Will you contribute to this discussion? Can I borrow $500?
How many people will give you an instant yes if you ask them? How many times has your organization (or you) earned the privilege of the benefit of the doubt?
Laboratory5 