Say NO. You'll Feel Better.

I'm guilty of being a 'yes person.' It's in me to try and please everyone, even if it means inconveniencing myself. As of last year, I made a conscious decision to reduce my number of yes' no matter what the case may be. A lot of people don't want to be misunderstood as being rude or inconsiderate for saying "no"- but hear me now - you will get the short end of the stick if you say yes to everything and everyone. Own your voice and time, and limit your commitments to what you can actually handle. I have a co-worker who is very honest about her schedule and capacity. At first, it sounds a bit strange to hear someone say "no" nicely. She's great at it though! "I have a lot on my plate and I can't take on that project right now- do you mind working on it?"- Such an honest approach.

People Pleasers are often frazzled and never have time for themselves. Hmmm, wonder why? For all you avid networkers -do you really have to have coffee with every single person you meet? A lot of times, coffee means something different to each individual; what's really the next step here?  Unless the motive is clear and you know exactly where your valuable time is headed, don't feel bad to A) clarify the objective of the meeting before you set a date and time, and/or B) Say something like "I would prefer if we take 15 minutes to chat over the phone to identify how we can better assist each other, before we plan for next steps." Time is precious. If you spend most of it meeting other peoples needs, you'll ware yourself out and fast.

For those in start up mode- you don't have to say yes to every single opportunity; they are not all right for you. Take time to screen them carefully and decline those that are way over your head. Being honest will take you much farther than failing to meet your clients needs. Believe me, I've been there. When I first started my business, I wanted to establish my credibility fast- so I took any and every potential client that would come my way. Since I was the only one doing all the work, this called for many sleepless nights and a whole lot of stress. At the end of the day, my work varied from great to mediocre to sub par. Being a "jack of all trades, master of none" is not a good way to build the foundation of your business.
What else could you be doing with you precious time? How about strengthening your skills? What are your skills? I took the self assessment in Strengths Finder 2.0 recently- WOAH - what a great tool to put your strengths into perspective. Work on enhancing and maximizing your time on things that are going to make YOU better. Start by prioritizing your list of to-do's; if you do it honestly, you'll quickly see the items that need to go.

-Dais


Flying high over San Diego | 2012