Why “no” is the key to success
So there’s a life-changing book called Essentialism by Greg McKeown.
It’s about a philosophy that’s based on the 80/20 rule.
Most things in life aren’t very important. He calls this the “trivial many.”
But a few things matter a LOT. He calls this the “vital few.”
So the premise of the book is…
The key to massive results is to eliminate the “trivial many” from your life.
And laser-focus ONLY on the “vital few.”
And the reason most people don’t achieve extraordinary results isn’t that they don’t do enough…
It’s because they take on TOO MANY things.
And as a result, their time, focus, and energy is scattered in a million different directions.
Which prevents them from achieving extraordinary results at anything.
Anyway, this is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately in my own life.
Because now I’m fortunate enough to be in a position where I have more good opportunities coming to me than I can handle.
And my instinctive reaction is to say “yes” to these good opportunities…
But I realize that by doing this, I’ve been spreading myself too thin.
And as a result, I’m not able to give as much time, energy, and attention to few things that matter the most.
So, that being the case, I’m going to be making a big shift in my business and in my life.
You see, my number-one goal is to build my own successful info publishing business ASAP.
So I plan on eventually eliminating client work altogether. But in the meantime, I’ll only be taking on 1–2 clients MAX at a time (and I’m already working with one long-term “dream client,” so that only leaves space for MAYBE one more well-paying client, if any).
I’ll also be cutting back on free consulting and coaching calls — instead offering only my daily content for free, while charging a premium for my time.
Of course, this means I’ll have to say “no” to plenty of perfectly GOOD opportunities that come my way. And I’m fine with that.
Because unless it’s a truly great and life-changing opportunity, anything else is just a distraction from my main goal.
Anyway, take from this what you will.
But if you find yourself overwhelmed and spread too thin, making “a millimeter of progress in a million directions” (as Greg McKeown says)…
Then you might be wise to read “Essentialism” and implement the philosophy in your own life.
But that’s just me. You do you.
-Beau D. Schultz
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