You Say No Every Time You Say Yes
Grant Herbert
Empowering today's great professional services technicians to become exceptional leaders | Executive Coach | Team Coach | Leadership Trainer and Mentor | Inspirational Keynote Speaker | Mental Health Advocate
Clients will often proclaim to me “I just can’t say no”. If that’s true for you then here’s what I tell them to dispel this unhealthy belief. “Every time you say ‘yes’ to something you are saying ‘no’ to something else”.
Learning not to say yes to everything that comes across your desk is one of the keys to overcoming procrastination. For many years I would write lists of what “needed” to be done and then be overwhelmed by the size of the list.
We all have 168 hours in every week, no one gets any more ore any less. The reason we need to learn to say “No” is so we can leave enough time to say “Yes” to the truly important things. I call them my ‘non-negotiables’.
How we feel about ourselves has a major impact on what, and who, we believe we can say no to. Being comfortable in your own skin allows you the clarity to see what is really important, and what is just being done to please others. Knowing what is important is the first step….what are your ‘High Lifetime Value’ activities?
High Lifetime Value activities are those that have a lasting effect on you, the people most important to you and the greater good. For me, spending time with my kids has a higher lifetime value than staying back at the office well into the night to get a deadline met. Having a healthy balance between work and the rest of your life is a major contributor to winning the fight against procrastination.
Grant Herbert is the founder of People Builders and the Institute of Social + Emotional Intelligence Australasia. He describes himself as an ordinary guy, with an outstanding wife and 5 amazing kids, who has a passion to help people escape the performance trap and regain their authenticity in every area of life. Visit www.grantherbert.com to find out how you can connect with him.