All our life, we’re told to seize opportunities that come our way because you never know what it may bring. We’re also constantly advised to grab opportunities because it may be tough to find another one. What they don’t tell you is when and why you shouldn’t be saying yes to the possibilities that come your way.

We often get opportunities that don’t align with who we are, what we really want in life or the larger purpose of our lives. These are essentially distractions that pull us off-course if we let them in. Why then do we accept them when we know they don’t fit in our lives and we need to say no?

We don’t want to waste an opportunity

Since childhood, we have been instructed to take up every opportunity we get because you never know when the next one will come along. This happens at school, college and even in our careers. We take up opportunities because we don’t want to let go of them and fear that we may not get another chance. We think it is just too good to be passed up even though it does nothing for us personally, or professionally.

The thought of passing up an opportunity comes with the fear of looking ungrateful or even snobbish and arrogant.

But in reality, the only thing you will be wasting is our and the other person’s time and energy.

If we don’t say yes, someone else will

We know that if we let go of the opportunity presented, there might be someone else who will grab it with both hands. Therefore, we end up taking up the opportunity out of fear of missing out and greed. What most of us don’t realize is that letting go of an opportunity that we anyway don’t like could be a turning point for the other person.

You’re doing it for someone else

You may face a situation wherein someone you know will offer you an opportunity, but you know that it would drain you more than be an enjoyable experience for you. But, what will you do when they look at you expectantly and ask about your interest? Saying no would mean disappointing them but remember that saying yes and doing a half-assed job would be lowering their perception about you, which is worse.

Now that you know why you tend to say yes when you want to say no, you must also know why these opportunities do more harm than good to you.

They drain your time and energy

Whenever you agree to take up an opportunity that is fit for you, you devote your time and energy to it. When it doesn’t align with you, it drains your time and energy. Working on that project could often leave you exhausted and frustrated.

If you’re saying yes to it, you’re saying no to something else

When you begrudgingly spend your time on a task, you are essentially saying no to something that you actually wanna do. Your time and energy are finite which means you can divert it to only so many things. If you’re wasting it on a task that doesn’t serve a purpose, you’re limiting the time and energy remaining for tasks that matter.

In conclusion, it can be difficult to say no when we feel that an opportunity is presented to us, but we must know that everything that glitters is not gold.

Recap for memory:

1. We tend to accept the opportunities to which we need to say no because we don’t want to waste an opportunity, someone else will take it or we’re doing it for someone else.
2. Saying yes to such opportunities does more harm than good.
3. They drain your time and energy, and saying yes to them means saying no to something you love.