Kathy Garland | Transformational Leader | Innovative Speaker | Business Coach | Kathy Garland International

I’ve been without a computer three different times since the first of December due to various hardware failures on two computers. It’s been a big detriment to my productivity and quite frustrating. I finally figured out that I can come to the public library and use a computer. Pretty simple!

Now that I’m here I am getting a lot done. Sometimes I need to be reminded it’s best to take myself out of my everyday environment to be able to think and open up new ideas.

I was reminded of the library’s resources last week when I took time out of my day to do something I wanted to do. I was drawn to the library and came in to walk around and discovered the computer lab.

It’s not easy to do but once you start scheduling time out of your office to do something you want, you’ll make new contacts, find new ideas and refresh your mind. Once a week is a wonderful goal to take 30 minutes or one hour to do something you’ve always wanted to do.

The idea is to do things you are drawn to do. You never know what may open up as a result.

You can read prior blog posts at www.kathygarland.com/blog.

This year I am resolving to say yes more often. That does sound contrary to what we need to do as women. I love new ideas and say yes a lot. However, to be most effective we need to be mindful when we make decisions that affect our lives, our businesses and our employees and partners.

A friend and I went to see the movie, Yes Man, starring Jim Carrey. It’s funny as you would expect, but also has a great message. Jim Carrey’s character, Carl, learns to use the the power of yes to radically transform his life.
He also learned some lessons from indiscriminately saying yes.

Here are five principles I use when I am making a decision on whether to say yes or no to an opportunity:

1. Examine your thoughts and put your arguments on paper for either yes or no. This is the classic pros and cons. Writing down what’s in your head helps you clearly evaluate your options. Your decision will be easier when you can see it on paper and in black and white.

2. Say yes to opportunities that stretch your imagination, your capabilities and your spirit. If a group asks me to speak on a new topic, I say yes. I love to explore and develop new ideas and topics. If you are asked to take a leadership position and the group matches your interests and benefits you, say yes.

3. Carefully evaluate any decision where you feel you ‘should’ say yes. Doing something when you ‘should’ do it often leads to resentment or unfulfilled promises. I’ve had many requests to join various groups. I’m very selective about where I spend my time outside my work with clients and say no more than I say yes. It’s more difficult to say no when friends and colleagues ask, so it’s important to think through your decision. When I resigned from a board last year, it was a difficult decision. I felt like I ‘should’ stay on, however, it was taking time that I needed for my business growth.

4. Check in with your heart. What do you really want? How does it feel? Do you feel excitement? Can you see possibilities? I use this step for example, when I’m considering a joint venture with another business owner. If I don’t feel excited about the opportunity and I don’t see a mutual benefit, it’s not going to work.

5. Does it match with your values? Any opportunity or situation that would compromise your values and integrity is not a good decision. For example, I do not cross boundaries when I am a subcontractor for coaching or training through another business owner. Even if the client says something to me about future opportunities, I will always call the person who brought me in.

Resolve to say yes to the right opportunities and situations that match your desires and interest so you can grow your business in the direction you want in 2009.

Contact Kathy Garland at www.kathygarland.com.

Healing Lifestyles and Spas Magazine (www.healinglifestyles.com) recommends my program, The Power of Your Pen (www.thepowerofyourpen.com) in this article: Lessons from Happiness School