Companies tell us that whatever we want, we can have it. Relationships tell us that we have to always please the other person and agree or we might lose their love. This is a lie.
We are told all the time lies that we believe. If we work hard we will be successful. Plenty of people work hard and get sick and die. Plenty of people work hard and tragedy happens to them. Plenty of people don’t work but get money from the lottery, or a rich relative. Almost everything we are told in life is a lie.
One of the biggest lies is that by saying Yes we will find our way to happiness and fortune. Steve Jobs once said that it is only because Apple says no to many things that it can execute well on what it does do. We try to do too much in life, and when we try to do everything we fail.
Yes, there is a fear of missing out, but the truth is that doing things doesn’t make you happy. Being happy is a byproduct and not a goal. When you are doing things that are helpful to yourself and others then I feel happy. For me, being useful makes me feel good. That’s part of the reason that I write this, and think about how I can be a better force in the world.
You have to say no as much as you say yes and possibly more. We are limited beings and we have a limited ability to accomplish things. We can focus our lives on something remarkable if we choose something and focus on that. I have chosen to focus on IT and being kind and I have had success with that. I am not the smartest or the kindest, but I am doing the best I can do.
Don’t be afraid to say no.