The Silent Struggle: Are You Overcommitted in Your Creative Journey?

If we’re honest, we love to say “yes.” It feels good, right? It gives us a sense that we’re needed and wanted. When we say yes, we can quiet down the lies in our minds that say we’re not good enough. Truthfully, it’s easier to say yes. Saying yes makes other people happy. Saying no makes them disappointed. So we say yes. Of course. Not a problem.

Meanwhile, inside, we’re slowly building to that inevitable panic attack or breakdown.

I’ve discussed many times before here about the importance of margin, but the most vulnerable place is between our ears.

The truth is: A healthy you creates greater work than an unhealthy you.

Without mental margin, you will never be able to create your best work.

When I was young in my career, I thought I could do it all. I managed three departments of a small, growing church. I “managed” this for a couple of years but eventually realized that if I wanted to create greater works then I’d have to start letting go and saying no to some things. I empowered other leaders around me, delegated, let go of perfection, and with it, my influence and work grew to new heights.

Saying yes to something is always saying no to at least one other thing.

By saying yes to everything, you are doing a disservice to all of those things and the people associated with them. You can’t give your best, which is what you desire when you are stretched too thin. You may be in a position where you cannot make this decision on your own. That’s understandable, but you can be gracefully honest with your boss and let them know that if they want greater work from you, that means you have to say no to some things. PSA: This is not an excuse to get out of doing work. If you’re going to shuffle things in the name of greater work, you need to be prepared to deliver. The good news is that you WILL be able to deliver, due to all that mental margin you just created.

It’s a different mindset that we need to step into. The mindset is knowing that saying “no” isn’t a bad thing, but rather a great thing for you and everyone around you.