Last week I found myself running away. After over 3 months of self-isolating, walking around my park endlessly, and repeating to myself over and over again hysterically “We’re in a freaking pandemic?!” I welcomed the chance to get away and spend 3 days in the wilds of Colorado on a backpacking trip. It was glorious and just what the doctor ordered. Three days of gorgeous mountain views, no cell phone service, no social media, no people bothering me, barely any politics (we all agreed philosophically about the state of things) just three days of peace. And as I made my way across the mountains of Colorado I found myself thinking about what wasn’t working and what I needed to change moving forward. I don’t know about you but I’m freaking exhausted because managing life during a Pandemic, social unrest, Black Lives Matter and just regular grown up life is tiring and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s now time to start saying no. If you’re struggling with managing all of the moving pieces of life during this time continue listening. My hope is to begin saying “No” emphatically starting today and I hope you will start doing the same too. This episode was not edited. To access the show notes go to: https://michelleismoneyhungry.com/its-time-to-say-no
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- Overnight our lives changed. It was so breathtaking in how it happened that even now I’m still shaking my head in shock.
- Then, as we basically got used to our new normal (I say that somewhat as a joke) things began to amp UP for me significantly.
- In fact, I have been busier than I ever would have expected since and that uptick in new projects and work began as a direct result of the lockdown, Black Lives Matter, and 8 years of hard work coming together.
- It seemed to happen out of nowhere. All of the sudden I was inundated with opportunities, requests to have me on podcasts, interviews, or to collaborate on projects. So, I said yes. Over and Over again.
- I believe in making hay while the sun shines and I felt like I couldn’t say “no” to the opportunities coming my way because who knew when they would come again? For a person who believes in abundance this was actually the opposite of abundant thinking and that was a mistake.
- When I began mixing up my days, accidentally double-booking events, and forgetting I said “Yes” to because I said “yes” so much, I knew it was to evaluate what was serving me well and what wasn’t.
- I began to ask myself the following question “How do I decide what to say NO to?” As I hiked the mountains of Colorado I started to consider the questions that I needed to ask myself before saying “Yes” to new projects, collaborations, or opportunities that come my way. Here are the 3 questions that I will begin asking myself moving forward. They may be helpful to you too.
- Question #1-Can I show up 100% to whatever I’m saying yes to? If the answer no. Then, you have to say “No”
- Question #2-Is this a unique one time opportunity? Or, is this something that has come up before? Here’s a fictitious example:
- Being asked to be interviewed on The View (unique one-time opportunity)
- Freelancing projects-You may have unique businesses that you’d like to work with that you might not have had the opportunity to work with before. But, the reality is that it’s necessary for freelancers to be constantly pitching and getting referrals (ongoing) If I say “no” to working on a project now doesn’t mean that I won’t have the opportunity to work with the same organization later. Especially as editors come and go (ongoing opportunity)
- Having a minor role in one of your favorite television shows (unique one-time opportunity)
- Being asked to be a podcast guest (ongoing opportunity) even though it’s typical that most people are on shows only once you could pitch different unique topics and return to the show.
- Question #3 Is the timing right? Right now I’m mentally fried with so much going on and it’s summer. I’m one of those people who tends to work more during the summer and I don’t see this year to be any different. But, what I will focus on and value moving forward will be different.
My Results Since the Pandemic
I’m going to be candid and say that I’m amazed by the progress that I’ve made during this time.
- I’m still alive and healthy. Seriously, we’re in a pandemic and this is an achievement.
- This month, June 2020, I will have the highest number of podcast downloads ever.
- I’m making more money
- My blog page views are the highest since June 2019
- I launched Make Money with Ebooks Academy in April
- I was interviewed by a ton of podcasters
- I wrote more books
- I paid off a debt in April
During a normal time these achievements would be considered significant. And, now you have to add on managing socially distancing at the same time. I have to ask YOU a question.
What have you added to your life?
- My amazing parent friends have added a number of additional roles to their life as their kids were sent home from school. Many of those roles were managed by other people such as educators or caregivers.
- Single friends what roles have you added to your life as a result of what’s going on?
- Do you feel like you’re always working now that work has been moved to your home?
- Endless zoom meetings? So. many. meetings.
- Everything seems to take more time to do.
- Doing anything at the DMV-thank God I don’t have to do anything with the DMV right now
- Taking public transportation-The schedules here in Denver were modified and transit doesn’t run as often as it used to.
- Grocery shopping in person-I’m very, very lucky that I am able to shop at a grocery store that has NO WAITING and 100% mask wear. However, many stores have lines.
- Retail shopping-I shop online but if I wanted to “pop into” Target. I could…after waiting in line.
Given our new reality, it’s time to say NO! And here is what I’m saying “no” to.
- No! to unnecessary Zoom meetings that could have been an email. There’s even video email that you can send. Use the CloudHQ extension on Chrome-I’m obsessed with it!
- No! to projects that aren’t 100% in alignment with my brand, belief system, etc.
- No! to rushing around like a crazy person who said “yes!” to everything.
- No! to people not respecting my boundaries as I state them clearly to them.
- No! to constantly being on and distracted by social media.
- No! to not setting clear boundaries about what you can or cannot do for other people.
- No! to scarcity mindset.
For me this is what I will be saying No! to moving forward
- I will be taking a break from scheduling podcast interviews from July 17-September 14, 2020. I have a TON, seriously, A TON of episodes already recorded. Listeners will love those shows. I just need to edit them. I don’t need to record more for quite awhile.
- No! to special projects or online conferences for the next couple of months. I’ve participated in several and they have been wonderful experiences. But, they take time to do well as a presenter and you have to manage timelines specific to the event and I just don’t have the energy to do that right now. I still have a few projects that I’m signed on to and I’m excited about them. But, once they’re done, I will be taking a break.
- No! to forgetting to focus on self-care. Self-care is a non-negotiable. I talked about this in last week’s episode and I can’t emphasize it enough.
- What I will say YES! to-anything that serves me well that I can do with a sense of ease.
If you follow me on social media, you’ll see more of an emphasis on self-care and aggressively prioritizing what’s truly important to me know.
So, I will end this show asking you to ask yourself the following question:
“What do you value and what’s important to you?” that should be what guides you as you start to say “No!” moving forward.
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