Here is how, why, and when I changed my default answer from yes to no thank you.
“In the beginning, I said yes to everything. You have to.
Now, my default answer is no.
If trading the time doesn’t strongly benefit my family, staff, close friends, or the families of the people we work with, it’s going to be a no.
Saying no creates room for better yes’s.”
-Ray Zingler on X
Can you do this session at 4am? Yes.
How about Sunday at 5pm? Yes.
Will you come speak to our team (out in bumblefu*k) tomorrow night? Yes.
Can you run this aspect of this tryout? Yes.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
“Goodness, you’re everywhere?”
I don’t know if I was ever in 2 places at the same time, but it damn sure felt like it.
On “normal” weeks, I worked M-F 5am-9pm, Saturdays, 7am-5pm, and Sundays 12pm-5pm.
“Crazy” weeks, were a hell of a lot crazier that that.
40 hour work weeks? I usually had 40 hours smoked in under 2 and a half days.
And I didn’t do this for 6 weeks.
I did this weekly, for 7 years.
No vacation, no friends, no thanksgivings at the in-laws, none of that shit.
Work. Work. Work. And in my spare time I worked more.
Looking back, I’d be lying if I told you my ego wasn’t involved.
While I was undoubtedly working with unrealistic ambition to create something special and achieve my dreams that are alive and well today (Zingler Strength) a lot of the extra I did was because you weren’t willing to.
And you weren’t about to take what’s mine?
I didn’t realize until after the fact that you weren’t coming after what was mine and your work ethic didn’t affect my work ethic or vice vera, lol.
While I would never go back and change any of it, I operate much differently today than I did in those days.
What I thought was “a lot” back then would pale in comparison to the volume of opportunities I receive today. Even the quality of them, too, is much better in many cases.
But my default answer that was once YES, is now, no (thank you).
You see I’m not after riches, clout, or status.
I’m after the ownership of time.
It is a goal of mine, that by 40 years old, I completely own my time.
This doesn’t mean “not work” (that sounds like a living hell) but it simply means I want to own and operate my time without any outside forces telling me how to behave.
When you can, learn to say NO.
No’s create room for better yes’s.
