Every day, we get new opportunities to seek out new projects, to spend time with our friends or family.
We get invited to this birthday party next week, to that trip with our friends in 8 months, or straight after work to an improvised gathering with the colleagues for a beer.
How many times did we say yes and we regretted going?
How many times did we say no and we regretted missing out on that opportunity?
How many times did we say yes to an event in 8 months, and one week before we regretted making that decision whilst we had liked to spend that time doing something else?
And as we get older, it does not get easier! So why is that so hard, and what to do?
We have a fear from missing something at that event we don’t go. And we are more afraid to miss something, rather than to be thrilled by the thing we would rather do. This is the human nature and it is nonsense.
And by adding too many things by saying “yes”, we miss opportunities to do something we really care about.
Here is one simple solution made popular by Derek Sivers.
Next time someone is inviting you to join X or Y, ask yourself, “how do I feel about it?”
Is it “HELL YEAHHHH !” ? If so, and you’re really thrilled, then you know that you should do it.
For anything less than that “HELL YEAHHHH !”, you should say NO!
– Do you want to join that concert tonight? (your favorite band)
– HELL YEAHHH!
– Let’s go have a beer after work next Friday? (your friends, asking for an evening together on the night of the final game of your favorite sport)
– yes…. (It’s a NO!)
Sometimes, we just need a systematic way of thinking, to make our life easier. A rule that eliminates all the doubting and the process of decision for every single occasion.
