3 Reasons Why Saying No Was My Biggest Career Lesson Of 2022

There’s no doubt about it: Saying yes can be a boon to your career.

It opens you up to new challenges and opportunities, invites collaboration, empowers and affirms others, and creates an environment where it’s safe to try, fail, learn and innovate.

But always saying yes can also leave you exhausted, stressed, and time-poor, wondering why you haven’t made progress.

Interestingly, billionaire Warren Buffett’s take is that “the difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.”

While I firmly believe in intentionally and selectively saying yes, I discovered firsthand the power of learning to say no.

Here are three reasons why it was my biggest career lesson of 2022:

1. It taught me that being busy is not the same as being productive

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of to-dos and requests, believing everything is urgent and important, but that’s seldom the case.

Sometimes, less really is more. Last year, a friend of mine subscribed to an “addition by subtraction” philosophy, removing anything that doesn’t help him move the needle on his business goals. Taking a cue from him, I also started eliminating non-essentials, which freed up room to focus on what matters most.

I’ve learned that doing more isn’t necessarily better; doing more of the right things is. And by saying no more often, I stopped doing the things that kept me busy but unproductive.

2. It helped me trust myself, take action, and become better aligned.

There have been numerous times I’ve hemmed and hawed over a choice, prolonging my decision, even when, deep down, I knew something didn’t feel right. Every time I went against that instinct, I suffered. But when I trusted myself and took action to decline an opportunity, I instantly knew I’d made the right choice.

I’ve found that one of the most affirming things I can do is trust my intuition when it’s telling me to say no and follow through on that action. I knew I was on the right track when my head and gut aligned, and I immediately felt a sense of relief and peace.

3. It forced me to operate from a place of strength (versus fear), which bolstered my confidence.

Real talk: saying no can be incredibly scary. There’s so much fear involved, whether that’s fear of missing out on opportunities or fretting over a potential revenue loss. But a funny thing happened by saying no more often: I shifted into an abundance mindset. Rather than be ruled by fear, I realized that any “shortcomings” I encountered by passing on things or people only cleared the path for better opportunities. I also gained confidence when I leaned into my decisions and firmly believed in my ability to create new opportunities better suited to me and my talents.

Like anything, saying no takes practice, but it’ll get easier over time. The good news is when you say no to the things and people who no longer serve you, you can say yes to those that do.