Everyone Tells You To Say No (And They’re Dead Wrong)
You need to say yes to “almost” everything. Here’s why…
If I said “no” to all the things I didn’t want to do when I was 21, I’d be picking my nose and playing beer pong all day.
Instead, I said yes to going back to school and getting my masters degree (not recommended for everyone).
I said yes to an Account Manager role. I said yes to any client that would be crazy enough to listen to my half-assed sales pitch. I said yes to any and all deals and targets that crossed me.
I said yes to a Director of Purchasing promotion. I said yes to becoming the President.
And I said yes to becoming CEO.
That’s my career trajectory. I wasn’t fond of purchasing when I was offered the job. But holy shit it taught me some of my most valuable life lessons.
Lessons I’d take back with me as President to generate millions of dollars in revenue.
I’ve said yes to thousands of things. Things I’m not passionate about. Things that wasted my time.
Derrick Sivers says it’s either a hell yes or no.
I say if it moves me towards my goals and aligns with my life’s operating principles, “let’s f’ing do it!”
Right now, I’m building Skylink Group, launching a new brand called JetFuel Coffee, acquiring eCommerce properties, creating a media agency for my group of companies and still doing all my essential CEO stuff.
If my business coach reads this, he’s going to kill me!
I still spend an enormous amount of time with my family, take care of my health and am able to balance life out.
I still say yes a ton. And I always get a ton done.
Here’s why you need to…
Say yes more often than you say no.
If you’re trying to become a top account executive and someone proposes starting a chicken breeding farm, say no, unless you love chicken.
Hopefully, that’s not the case, and you’re saying yes to things that make sense in your life.
The more you say yes, the more opportunity you’ll see. The more you’ll learn. The more you’ll fail and grow.
Saying yes helps you experience growth and failure all at once.
No school can teach you that!
By saying yes, you’re feeling life out. You’re experiencing new things. You’re testing. You’re adjusting.
Its similar to marketing, you’re A/B testing.
If you follow a theme, continually pursue your goals and live by your life’s principles, say yes to everything that will help you move the needle.
Once you’re in a good position…
Filter out what you say yes to. You now have opportunities to choose from.
Once you attain a certain amount of success, you won’t have the time to say yes to everything.
I only say yes to things that I consider my A & B level activities within my direct focus areas.
Why?
Because I’ve gotten myself to that point. I’ve built a team in which I can delegate too and in specific areas their better than me at what they do.
I don’t spend all day chasing sales opportunities because I’ve built a sales team. I’m looking for 10x growth and spending time chasing an account won’t help me achieve this.
Say yes to everything and then begin deciding what a yes means to you.
Don’t let an opportunity slip away with a no.
Go grab it.
Your wings,
