What Will Be Your Responsible “No” This Week?

My wife has this great line that she sometimes uses when she’s asked to help with something that’s not as high a priority as other things on her calendar. She listens to the pitch and then politely says, “What you’re doing sounds great and really important. I’d like to be able to help but given everything else going on in my life, it wouldn’t be responsible of me to say yes.”

Based on what I see with a lot of leaders, there are lots of irresponsible yes’s flying around. (I’ve certainly emitted my share, too.) The outcome is often frantic, rather mindless calendars that don’t really drive meaningful results.

So, consider taking five minutes on this Mindful Monday to consider what’s inbound on your radar screen that you need to say no to when it arrives. Saying no could be the most mindful and responsible thing you do all week.

What’s your best advice for saying no in a mindful way?

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