The Higher Cost Of Yes

Saying no to loud people gives you the resources to say yes to important opportunities.

In Saying ‘no’ Seth Godin makes this insightful distinction on the higher cost of saying yes.

Opportunity Cost: The cost of an alternative that must be forgone in order to pursue a certain action. Put another way, the benefits you could have received by taking an alternative action.

Paying attention to the squeaky wheel in front of you is easy.  Paying attention to what matters to you most takes clarity, focus and commitment to a larger vision.

If you can’t bear to say no even when you know yes is the wrong answer … consider the lost benefits to all those you would have helped by staying true to yourself.

There are vastly more people who lose out when you don’t show up than the few who gain personally by holding your attention.

From that perspective, what becomes the greater selfish act – saying yes or saying no?