Saying No (#191)

The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.

As you reach higher levels of success, you often have the ability to help more people, and more people are likely to ask for your help. At the same time, you still have significant responsibilities to your family, career, close friends and community; people already depending on you to give them your time and attention.

One person can’t be all things to all people. And those that try – by saying “yes” to everything that’s asked of them – will inevitably let themselves and others down.

Warren Buffett understood this all too well when he said, “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.”

Personally, I’ve struggled to say “no” to others for most of my professional life. I’ve worried about coming off as unapproachable or, worse, that others will think I perceive myself as being more important than them in some way.

I’ve been on a journey to find a better way to say no, especially as my personal and professional responsibilities have increased. Then, last year, I listened to an episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, titled “How to Say No.”