We all have more opportunities than we realize. The young entrepreneur can expand his product line, or penetrate new markets, or explore an online counterpart to his business. The soon-to-be-retiree can spend her retirement in Florida, or move closer to her grandchildren in Wisconsin, or travel around the United States in an RV.
Granted, we can pursue more than one opportunity at a time. The young entrepreneur can both develop his product line and establish a digital interface that provides backend service to his products. The soon-to-be-retiree can split her residence between Florida and Wisconsin. But what happens when the entrepreneur is bombarded with opportunities from potential investors, partnerships, and the prospect of global expansion? What happens when the soon-to-be-retiree is approached by several companies willing to pay her handsomely for freelance work related to her expertise, or when other family members spread throughout the United States ask her to move-in with them?
When we experience an overwhelming number of opportunities in front of us, we must wisely choose which opportunities we pursue and identify the ones that do not align with our vision and goals. The more you say “YES” to an increasing number of opportunities that add trivial value to your ambition, you’re actually saying “NO” to other opportunities that could drive tremendous value for you. And depending on the amount of time and effort you devote to the trivial opportunities you accept, you may close the door to crucial future opportunities that magnify your business, or your life, exponentially. One ill-advised “YES” can actually translate to several “NO’s” for other extraordinary opportunities in your life.
David Allen brilliantly noted that “you can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” I’ve been reading a lot about “doing more by doing less” lately, and I must say, this approach is key in maximizing your productivity and value-add to your work, your relationships, and your personal development. In order to do less, you must actively say NO to activities and opportunities that are not aligned with your life’s mission. In order to say NO to these activities and opportunities, you must have clarity of your mission, a targeted plan to actualize your mission, and disciplined daily efforts that support your mission.
The next time you’re presented with an opportunity, take a step back. Ask yourself three questions:
1) Is this opportunity aligned with my mission, and will it advance my mission according to my plan and daily efforts?
2) Will this opportunity conflict with other present or future opportunities that could add relatively more value to my mission?
3) What other opportunities will this opportunity present down the road?
If you answer “yes” to the first question, move on to the second. If you answer “no” to the second question, move on to the third. For the third question, take the time to consider how this opportunity will play out in the future, and how it will either enhance your future opportunities or curtail them. If you are satisfied with how this opportunity filters into your mission down the road, then you have a pretty good reason to say YES to the opportunity in question.
YES’s and NO’s are not equal. One YES typically does not equate to one NO. Rather, one YES can equate to 100 NO’s if you ignore your mission, your other opportunities, and future consequences of saying YES to a particular opportunity that will, holistically, inhibit you more than empower you. YES’s are much more dangerous than NO’s … one NO simply means one NO, whereas one YES can mean an unlimited number of NO’s.
Remember – you can do anything, but you can’t do everything. What is your anything? And from your anything, what are your one or two main things? To focus on your one or two things, thereby doing more by doing less, make sure to hand out as many NO’s as needed to ensure that you stay on your path, avoid distractions, and continually reorient your disciplined daily efforts and goals with your mission.
