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There’s an irony in this post, in that I wanted to say no to writing it.

It’s already been a long week 😴 with some big jobs to finish before a fairly out-of-office week next week when we head overseas to launch our events in Berlin. So when I got a cold 🤧 that started wiping out my energy on top of that, writing an blog post was the last thing on my mind.

I wanted to say no (and I should have but not writing this would have been a missed opportunity)…

“No” is one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal as a human. Especially as one with goals. Laser focus is often key to growth but without saying yes to opportunities how do you get there? It’s a delicate balance to get right but one we often fall on the wrong side of, saying yes to things that just don’t feel right.

This is a lesson in gut feeling, prioritisation and self-awareness.

Simply put: If something doesn’t feel right, isn’t top of mind, or doesn’t turn you on, then why are you even giving it any time in your relatively short, valuable life? 🤔

That’s the secret sauce as to why we have been able to grow our host cities so fast – we’ve ensured that being a host delivers incredible value vs the relatively tiny amount of responsibility our hosts have to put in.

However, it’s something I sometimes catch myself slipping on (hello, self-awareness!) and I’d urge you to do a quick reality check yourself. 👀

Culling anything not in line with where you want to be is the first step to making things happen.

Consider it a spring clean. How great does it feel when your room/flat/house/desk/office has no clutter in it anymore? And only the clothes you actually wear and things you actually use remain? It feels great. 🤗

So why don’t we do that more with our businesses and our lives? Well, we should, and this my nudge to you, to do that too. So go ahead, quit that class, cancel that needless meeting, don’t go to that dinner.

Obviously, there is always social currency to consider in many circumstances but I’m sure you all have the common sense to decide on what “no”s are good and what ones are bad. For example, saying no to a job you don’t like with no backup plan in mind isn’t a smart no. It’s just plain crazy! 😅

My hope is that once you’ve removed the clutter you can fill your work and personal time with things you’ve been wanting to do for so long. 🙌

Maybe you’ll finally be able to get that email campaign set up? Maybe those events can finally happen? Maybe you take up a new hobby you’ve wanted to do for ages!

Contrary to popular belief, your world does revolve around you and your happiness impacts you and everyone around you. So get that right first and the rest will follow.