John Lennon met Yoko Ono at one of her art exhibits in November of 1966. One installment in her exhibit was “Ceiling Painting.” Viewers had to climb a white ladder in the center of the room, where a magnifying glass hung from the ceiling. When they looked through the magnifying glass they saw one word on a framed piece of paper affixed to the ceiling: “YES.”
Ono explained, “My view of life is the fact that there were many incredible negative elements in my life, and in the world, and because of that I had to conjure up a positive attitude within me…by activating the ‘Yes’ element…”
As much as I appreciate her positive perspective on life, I want to make a far different point about “yes”: it can hold you captive and prevent you from really breaking free from your limitations. The tyranny of yes is accepting too many opportunities and allowing too many distractions, thus never being able to focus on your purpose and the best opportunities for you.
Principle: “Yes” Can Confine You, “No” Can Free You
For purpose-driven people, “no” can actually be much more powerful than “yes.” “No” keeps your options free and gives you the choice to say yes to and focus on very selective opportunities that are aligned with your purpose, passions, and gifts. “No” clears out the clutter of life and makes anything you say yes to much more focused, powerful, and enjoyable. The more you say yes, the fewer options you have.
Success depends on your ability to recognize distractions, stay on track, and remain true to yourself. When you don’t say no to distractions that have nothing to do with your immediate goals, you become emotionally obligated and overwhelmed with requests to perform for others.
In the 5 Day Weekend, we create freedom from the tyranny of yes and expand our ability to choose. We eliminate distractions. We stop being scattered and instead, focus intently and diligently for a long enough time to experience real results.
As Warren Buffet said, “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.”
In my next post, I will continue exploring this concept of Freedom from Yes, with a look at seven ways to say “no” to distractions in order to say “yes” to opportunities.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you. Have you ever been constrained by being too accommodating – by saying yes to something that distracted you from doing or engaging with something that would have been more aligned with your purpose? Thank you for sharing .
Secure your copy of the “5 Day Weekend” book. 5 Day Weekend: Freedom to Make Your Life and Work Rich with Purpose [Nik Halik & Garrett Gunderson]
http://clik.li/5dwb
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