You need to optimise for NOs in your life.
Which I know is hard - I’ve struggled with it my whole life!
Growing up, I said YES to a lot of things.
Especially when told to / advised by people that I thought were “better” than me. Well-meaning people who had my best interests at heart.
That’s how I ended up saying yes to:
✅ Majoring in economics at Columbia University;
✅ 7 years at BlackRock; and
✅ Trying to launch a VC-backed startup in Singapore.
Unfortunately, none of them worked out.
I was always so miserable! 😕
Because as it turns out, I wasn’t saying YES to the right things.
And worse, couldn’t say NO to all the things that I didn’t need!
All that has changed now, and that’s in no small part since I know myself so much more. Specifically, what I care about, am good at and can offer to the world.
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One of my recent personal growths is saying NO when it comes to idea generation and execution.
If you’ve ever met me, you’ll know that I love coming up with new ideas and chasing after the next few shiny objects.
So much so that I’m juggling half a dozen things at any one time, at all times!
Looking back - at the beginning of 2023 - I was:
(i) Helping a US-based DTC handbag brand expand its Asia presence,
(ii) Working on building a fashion AI software startup to help identify secondhand items from a snap of a photo
(iii) AND my career coaching business
But while it’s great to try new things, there is a tremendous compounding effect in doubling down on one thing.
To stick to it and become so good at your chosen field of expertise that you become undeniable.
I started to see the rewards of my coaching business when I started saying NO to all the enticing fashion opportunities
(I won’t lie, it was not easy as someone prone to FOMO!)
So if you want to be an expert in anything, remember: Be generous with your NOs.
And stingy with your YESes.
Agreed? 😉
P/S: If you’d like to learn more about how to say YES to the right career opportunities for yourself, just fill up the contact form and we’ll get started!
