Saying No is Essential

If I want to live life to the fullest, I must learn to say ‘no’ more often.

Good morning!

Have you seen the hilarious rom-com, Yes Man?

In the movie, this random, mediocre guy is challenged to say ‘yes’ to everything in his life.

As the movie progresses, the main character begins to start saying ‘yes’ to every opportunity and every request, resulting in him having a much fuller life. He begins to greatly succeed at his job, his love life flourishes, and his sense of purpose and adventure skyrockets.

However, towards the end of the movie, we begin to notice that even though saying ‘yes’ has helped a lot, without discretion and saying ‘no’ to certain things, continuing on his path of always saying yes could get him in major trouble and cause tremendous chaos.

This morning, I was reminded that commitments are crucial both in what you commit to do and what you commit not to do. As many of you might know, during my late teens, I’ve committed to cutting chocolate out of my life. While that single decision has caused more people to be puzzled by me than any other thing I’ve ever done, I think it’s great and I have no desire to ever allow it back.

I also watched an inspirational video from a success mentor last week, and he really emphasized making commitments to what you’ll say no; if you decide right here, right now, what you won’t do in the future (e.g. “I will only ever invest in my own companies, never anyone else’s”), when an opportunity presents itself, you’ll be able to say ‘no’ and keep yourself focused and on the right path because you’re honoring an established commitment, thus requiring a lot less willpower.

Saying yes to opportunities can make your life a lot more full, saying no to opportunities can keep you more focused and intentional with your life, and discernment helps you choose between the two.

Have a great day today!

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