I say “no” a lot. So become an expert at the “polite, no”. Most of the time when an organization approaches my firm and they say, “We’d like Robin to speak at this leadership summit.” I say, “No,” because I’m focused on my key priorities. A lot of times when people say, “Here’s a social invitation.” I politely decline. A lot of times when people say, “Robin, we’d like you to participate in this business opportunity.” I say, “No.” You absolutely want to practice and get very disciplined at the polite, no. Because what most people do is we feel very, very compelled to say yes to every wedding, and every social obligation, and every dinner obligation, and to participate in every business opportunity. That’s a great way to destroy your opportunity. You really want to be very, very disciplined at saying no to 99% of opportunities that come your way. Just because something is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it doesn’t mean you should say yes to it. Stick to your knitting. Stay monomaniacally focused on those one or two opportunities that will allow you to dominate your domain, that will bring joy to your heart when you do it, and that will allow you to make history in your own unique way.
