The Art of Yes

Carlo Serrano
Jul 25, 2017 · 2 min read

One of my core values is to practice the Art of Saying “No.” What I mean by that is that I say “no” to a lot of stuff. I say “no” to certain meetings, certain career opportunities, being someone’s personal Google, teaching drum lessons, meetings, hanging out with people outside of my band of brothers or family, and MEETINGS. I do not say “no” to be a jerk. I say “no” to keep others from running my life. This does not mean that I do not do meetings or hang out. What it means is that I am cautious, intentional, and smart about how I handle meetings and who I hang out with. I say “no” to good things so that I can say “yes” to great things…like serving, accomplishing my goals, and winning. The best way to figure out what to say “no” to is to examine the high cost of saying “yes.”

Every time you say “Yes” to being hateful with your words and actions you are saying “No” to greatness.

Every time you say “Yes” to the tyranny of the urgent you are saying “No” to fruitfulness.

Every time you say “Yes” to the unrealistic demands and expectations of others you are saying “No” to your divine-design and purpose.

Every time you say “Yes” to laziness you are saying “No” to promotions and financial increase.

Every time you say “Yes” to fear you are saying “No” to God’s best for your life.

If you are always saying “Yes” to good things you may actually be saying “No” to GREAT things. Stop the blame game. Stop the excuses. Start saying “Yes” to GREAT things!

Carlo Serrano

Non-profit leader, educator, consultant, and lover of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade