Saying YES to every opportunity that presents itself sounds like a sure-fire way to keep the door open to opportunities so we never miss the next big experience. But saying YES to every opportunity would cause our schedule chaos and we’d soon be triple booked. So how do we deal with the conflict of when to say YES, and how doing so for the right reasons can change our life.
Countless blogs and articles all state that saying YES will change our life. I agree in principle. Saying YES to opportunities that are aligned with our dreams, goals and desires are opportunities we don’t want to miss. But how do we know if the opportunity presenting itself is the right one? There’s a fine line between saying YES to opportunities that will move us forward and opportunities that will just keep us busy.
How to find the right opportunity
“When you say YES to others make sure you are not saying NO to yourself” ~ Paulo Coelho
Saying YES is easy, but you need guidelines to determine if you should say YES to the next opportunity that requires a decision. The key to saying YES in a world with lots of opportunities is to understand your own dreams, goals and priorities.
Follow these 3 steps in understanding and aligning your dreams, goals and desires and start saying YES to opportunities that matter. Once this is clear, opportunities that are in sync will present themselves at your door step and all other opportunities will either fade or you will be able to pick out the ones that are not in your best interest allowing you to focus all your attention on what really matters.
#1- Analyze who you are today: The first step is to understand what you want out of life and what you want to change. This allows you to say YES to opportunities that align with your heart and soul. Then study yourself and see if you are truly doing things that you want, or are you doing things that are expected from you?
#2- Understand your core values: Core values are guiding principles that influence our behaviour. They’re the line in the sand that allows us to make difficult decisions. You don’t comprise on core values. You live them 24/7, not only when they’re convenient. Pick 2-4 core values that define who you are and ensure you’re able to live them fully and with integrity. This weeds out the white noise and is a great tool for helping you determine when to say YES to the right opportunity.
#3- Create a picture that represents your vision: How do you want to see yourself in 10-15 years? I use my personal vision statement for guidance. It’s my northern star that steers me daily so that everything I do has purpose. When I’m presented with an opportunity, I review my personal vision and determine if the opportunity is in line with my vision. This easily guides me in knowing when to say YES to opportunities that mesh with my personal vision. Create your personal visual vision with my workbook, The Visual Vision Doodle Book, I recommend you start working on this today!
Saying YES is important, but knowing what to say YES to is key to personal happiness and success.
Adriana is the author of The Visual Vision Doodle Book- Find your life’s purpose and live your passion! To claim your copy, visit CornerStoneDynamics.com/products
