On saying yes
A big part of success is showing up.
I had a couple of conversations at work this week about what I call saying yes/raising your hand. I’ve found that so much of being successful at work is really just as simple as saying yes when opportunities arise. It could be as simple as helping someone plan a fun event or more complex like tackling a project that will expand your scope or help you learn new skills. When stuff like this comes up at work, I more likely than not raise my hand.
Des Linden famously calls this idea showing up.
And Des is right. So much of life, work, and success at both is about showing up. Whether it’s showing up at work or showing up for the people in your life, so many doors open when you show up.
But obviously we can’t say yes to everything or to everyone. I was chatting with a peer this week about when it makes sense to say yes and when you should pass up on an opportunity. I’ve done some more thinking on that conversation and here are some of my personal heuristics for deciding if I should say yes to a project or opportunity.
Will you regret it?
For me the biggest factor in deciding to raise my hand is whether or not I’ll regret not doing so. You have to ask yourself some questions to determine if you’ll regret not raising your hand…
