What’s in this issue:
Your “yeses” matter: insights to help you focus where you’re spending your time and energy
This week’s reflection prompts help you notice where your time and energy are going now and where you want them to be going
Choosing to fail: a powerful concept to liberate yourself from needing to do a great job at everything, all the time
😆 Today’s laugh
Next time you need to say “no” to something, just take a page out of E.B. White’s book. ⬇️
💭 Today’s thought
Your “yeses” matter
It can be so hard to say “no” (except if you’re E.B. White, apparently 😅).
Thoughts go through our minds, like:
What if I disappoint someone?
What if I miss out on something important?
Related (and sometimes even more daunting…), what if my kids miss out on something important?
So, we hand out a lot of what I call “fake yeses” — we agree to do something, overextend ourselves (and/or our loved ones), or spend our time and energy on things that deep down, we know don’t bring us joy or fulfillment.
If any of this sounds familiar, I’d like to offer two insights that have helped me in a big way to say “no” more often:
When you say “no” to one thing, you’re simultaneously saying “yes” to another (and vice versa).
Your life is an accumulation of what you choose to say “yes” to, intentionally or not.
With this in mind, your “yeses” matter. Every day, each “yes” matters.
And for every “yes” you give half-heartedly, or unintentionally, or to a less important cause, that’s potentially one less “yes” you can give to the things that matter most…
…to the things you uniquely have the power and passion to create.
Your “yeses” matter. How might you make them count?
🖊️ Today’s reflection
If you’re new to journaling, I highly encourage you to read Nancy Adler’s article: Want to be an outstanding leader? Keep a journal.
This week, find a quiet place and gift yourself 10 minutes to reflect on any of these prompts:
Where in my life am I giving “fake yeses”? How is that serving me?
What’s most important for me to give a full “yes” to in my life? To what extent do my daily activities reflect these priorities?
Pick an activity/project/event/habit you’d like to say “no” to and jot down what you’d be saying “yes” to instead by declining it.
📚 Today’s read
I’m digging this article by Sophie Lucido Johnson: Choosing to Fail.
Something I forget a lot, because we are culturally obsessed with perfectionism, is that very often doing a bad job at something is the same as doing a good job at something. Just showing up and doing the thing, no matter how feebly and terribly you do it, is more than most people are going to do.
- Sophie Lucido Johnson
See you next week!
xo,
Anne