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Hey guys! This is Chelsea with Hennapreneur, and today I want to talk to you about the three reasons why I hope that you're saying “no” more in 2019.

So the first reason why I hope you're saying “no” more is because your time is limited. Listen, I get it! Everyone wants something from you - your kids want something from you, your family want something from you, your obligations at work or at school or at play want something from you. Everyone wants a piece of your time, but let me tell you something: we all only have 24 hours in a day. And not only do we all have 24 hours in a day - within those 24 hours you have to find time to meet all of the needs of all of those things that you deem a priority. So we need to step back and assess what a priority actually is, okay?

One of the best gifts that I gave myself in 2018 was learning to just say “no.” My time was limited! I had obligations with my family. I had obligations with my business. I had obligations with my husband. I had obligations with my parents. I had obligation things that needed to be done - people who needed my attention - and not everyone in my social circle, not everyone even in my on my client list not, everyone all of the time was going to be able to have a piece of my pie. I had to learn (painfully!) that my time is limited, and my energy is limited, my resources personally are limited, and so I had to know when was enough and went to just say “no.”

One of the hardest parts about saying “no” is the guilt that comes with it, but I promise you with time that guilt will go away. You have to understand that you have to respect yourself first. You have to respect your needs first in order to do anything well. So if your time is limited - let's say that your time for your henna business is limited to three hours a day, then you need to understand and respect that those three hours are all you've got, and if someone else wants to encroach upon that time or if some other task or duty or obligation comes up that wants to get in the way of that time, then you need to know that it's okay to say “no.” So when someone asks you to bring cookies to the PTA meeting or when someone ask you if you can help them with an assignment or when a family member or friend or neighbor asks you to help them with whatever tasks that they've got going on you have to understand that it is okay to say “no” and give yourself permission to do it. So respect that your time is limited, and know when to just say “no,” it's okay.

The second reason why I hope you're saying “no” more in 2019 is that you should limit the use of your time to those things that allow you to operate in your zone of genius. So what is that exactly? Your zone of genius is that thing that you do really well, all of the time. It's that thing that people know you for, it’s that thing that people love you for, it’s that thing that people always come to you and ask you for or ask you questions about, and the thing that you feel good about doing. Your zone of genius is where you operate at the highest level - when you're efficient and your effective, and you feel motivated, inspired, creative, and fulfilled. It's very rare that you will feel regret when you're working from your zone of genius; so, if you're asked to do a task that does not fit into your zone of genius, understand that it's okay to just say “no.”

Let's say, for example, you are phenomenal at doing prenatal henna - that's what you love, you get client after client after client for that service, and you enjoy it. It takes you nothing, the designs just come to you. You enjoy the experience, and you want to do that experience all the time. You've become an expert at this. You know just exactly how to sit your client, and how to how to maneuver around her belly, and how to address when the baby starts kicking, and how to make sure that every line is well-balanced so when she stands her design is beautiful and flawless. And then, let's say, you get a request for a bridal client or let's say that you get a request from a festival organizer, and you know that you don't work well under those circumstances. You know that you don't enjoy the bustle the pressure of working with brides or you know that you don't like the long hot days working outdoors at the festivals. Then just say ”no.” It is okay to walk away from offers that have been placed in your lap if it doesn't encourage you and push you to operate in your zone of genius, and it's not a skill that you're wanting to build and develop. Just say “no,” it's all right.

The third reason that I hope you are saying “no” more in 2019 is that I want you to only say “yes!” to those things that bring you joy. Now not all of life is, like, rainbows and unicorns. There are going to be times that you're going to have to do things that you don't enjoy doing (like taxes!), but I want you to be very cautious of the way that you feel when you agree to do things. That can be when you agree to do things in your personal life or when you agree to do things with clients - take inventory of how you feel in the process of accepting and the process of discussing and the process of exploring different options and things. If there is something that does not bring you joy (or in the case of taxes) is not something that contributes to something that brings you joy, then I want you to just say “no.”

One of my goals this year in 2019 is to reach a place of more peace on an internal level and part of that is knowing that I want to operate and do those things that only bring me joy, and that I'm okay with saying “no” to those things that don't. I challenge you to consider what things you're doing right now, what things are taking up your time, what things are taking you outside of your zone of genius, what things you're doing - but you're doing begrudgingly - because it doesn't bring you joy, and set those things aside. Just say “no” and walk away - and then that time that you've now freed up? Dedicate it to working in your zone of genius, dedicate it to building up your creative prowess and your motivation, and dedicate it to living a life that's filled with more abundance, more peace, and more joy. With that, I'll see you guys next time. Bye!