The Power of No

We often hear people talk about the importance of YES. "Say yes and figure it out later!" is something that comes up often in the world I'm in. Although I agree with this statement, I think we need to counter balance those yeses (is that a word?) with some nos. We also need to put some context to it.

One piece of advice that has stuck with me is that for every yes I say, I'm saying no to something else. This relates to things that will take up my time. For example, if I say yes to helping a friend move next weekend, I'm saying no to spending time with my family.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that you should not help your friends. What I'm saying is that you need to protect your most important asset, your time, and keep it for what is most important to you.

This is something I consistently work with. As an entrepreneur, I say yes to a lot of opportunities (or things I perceive as opportunities). This especially gets tricky when money is involved. A project will come up that we're not really interested in but we could use the money or the work for the team. In the past we have taken those projects but we have committed to stop doing this.

What's interesting is what happens to our subconscious mind. When we say no to the projects we don't want, our subconscious mind says, "Oh! You're serious about this! Let's figure out how to find you the better projects!" All of a sudden, things start to fall into place. The right people show up and the right events happen. It really is amazing to watch when you're aware of it.

The other thing NO can do is create trust and respect as it can show your integrity.

A perfect example of this is when I was volunteering at the Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association Booth for the Ottawa Home and Remodelling Show this past weekend. I was speaking with a lady about an upcoming renovation project she was starting to plan and she asked, "Do your projects usually end on schedule?"

My response without hesitation was "No." To which she followed up with, "Thank you for being honest." This obviously lead into other conversations about what could happen on a renovation project but it was the beginning building a new relationship.

Where can you bring NO into your life in order to make more room for the big YES?