NO!

Smart people and nice people think their smartness and niceness diminishes each time they say no to someone. 

They believe they are saying no to their own capability of helping. 

To their own ability to solve. 

What we rarely realize is that the art of saying no is the highest level of respect you can bestow onto yourself. 

Each time we say no, we chose what’s important as against what’s urgent (or worst still what’s pleasing others)

Each time we say no, we make ourselves vulnerable to the world’s narrative of ourselves. And we accept it 

Each time we say no, we say yes to things that matter. That move us forward. 

I get asked for help more than I deserve, on a daily basis. 

For funding, mentoring, ISB help, speaking sessions. 

And I have a polite template for saying no to most of them. 

Not because I don’t want to help. 

Because I can’t. 

Because there are other things that take precedence. That I have signed up for. That I am already on. 

It shocks me how so many people show an absolute disregard to their time and allow others to step on it at will. 

They will pick up stuff and crib about it. Projecting they were somehow forced or tricked into it. 

But it’s always our choice. 

Always. 

True success is not how much time you spend doing what you love. 

It’s how little time you spend doing what you hate.