Why Saying No Is a Superpower

Saying no to opportunities is saying yes to better opportunities.

Photo by Florian Schmetz on Unsplash

Say no to low-paying opportunities allows you to say yes to higher-paying opportunities.

I used to say yes to every opportunity that came my way. It didn’t matter if it was 10 cents a word. I wanted every gig. It ended up hurting me in the long run.

Most freelancers, contractors, or solopreneurs know the challenge of finding the right opportunity. They know their worth. But they cave as soon as a client comes along and offers to pay them 50% of their worth. The feeling sucks.

This happened to me until I started saying no. Learning that was like a superpower that unlocked new opportunities.

Here’s why saying no is a superpower.

You’re More Valuable Than You Know

As a freelancer, my time is valuable. My skills are even more valuable. I don’t have time to haggle over price. I don’t have time to convince someone that I’m good at what I do.

If you go out for a nice steak dinner, do you haggle with the restaurant owner on what to pay? Absolutely not. You expect that steak to taste delicious, to be prepared, and to be top dollar. If you can’t afford a steak dinner, then don’t get steak for…