How to say no (with the help of a bunch of strangers)

Tired of saying yes to situations you know in your little freelance bones you shouldn't?

Then the January Freelance Jungle is for you!

Success has far more to do with what you say no to than what you say yes to. No is such an important word. Yet it’s a word most freelancers and soloprenuers truly struggle with. From ignoring those situations where we know we should say no, to the guilt we have when we do, our inability to say no continues to shape business.

Hindsight is always 20/20

After your bills are well overdue, the customer has turned into a complete nightmare and/or you’ve begun to resent a project, is no time to indulge hindsight. But time and time again, we know in retrospect when we should have said no, stood our ground, or that something wasn’t quite right. The trouble is most of us take on customers or make business decisions because we’re conditioned to make money while the sun shines...to the point where we create some of our darkest clouds.

Now, it’s time to say no. Say no to ignoring situations our better judgement says we should avoid. Say no to the guilt when we do. And say no to hindsight and the dark clouds it brings.

Group hacking no

The truth of the matter is most of us suck like a giant Electrolux at saying our own no, but we’re pretty damn good at giving this advice to others.

Bringing the strength of perspective and someone else’s objectivity is what this is all about. It's like group therapy without the weirdness. And it goes like this:

Bring your ‘no problem’

Identify one key issue you’re having that relates to no. It can be as specific or as broad as you like. It may be an aspect of a particular customer relationship, relate to a project you are working on, or a problem situation you keep falling back into. Make sure your problem is ‘live’ so that any solution presented can be practically applied and of course, relates to not being able to say no.

Present your ‘no problem’ to the group

Each person who turns up will be given 3 minutes to outline their ‘no problem’ in an informal environment. By this we mean sharing your ‘no problem’ with the group from your chair, with a drink in hand, and nothing remotely like public speaking!

Receive support, validation and the right words

Acting on the two (or as many turn up) heads are better than one theory, your ‘no problem’ will then receive advice and attention from the others in attendance. The idea is to draw on collective personal experience, share the wisdom, and hopefully give you the watertight answer to your no problem in the process.

Learn to artfully say no

It’s no secret many freelancers and solopreneurs find saying no gracefully difficult. We ignore our better instincts due to worries about money, workflow or reputation. But by drawing on a group wisdom approach, we can learn together while possibly making some connections in the process.

This is in association with www.hackinghappiness.com.au