Welcome to Day 5 of A Week of Living Brilliantly.
Yesterday we talked about cultivating courage (it’s here if you want a recap). Today, you’ll get to apply it in one of the hardest — and most liberating — ways possible: saying no.
Sanyin Siang, a brilliant professor and leadership thinker, puts it simply: your time is your most precious resource. And if you say yes to everything, you end up diluting your ability to do anything well.
The Lesson:
We like to think saying yes is generous. But often, the real generosity is in saying no.
Saying no doesn’t mean shutting a door. Done with care, it opens the right doors — for you and for others.
Here are three elegant ways Sanyin suggests:
- Not yet. The timing isn’t right. Future-you might handle it better.
- With someone else. Invite in a colleague, mentee, or partner. You share the load, and someone else gets to grow.
- Not me, but… Point to someone better suited. You decline while still being helpful — and create a new connection.
Every no creates space for a more meaningful yes.
The invitation
What if you treated your no as an act of generosity?
Try it today:
- Say no quickly instead of leaving someone hanging.
- Choose the style that fits — Not yet, With someone else, Not me but …
- Notice the relief, focus, or possibility that follows.
Your turn
- What’s one thing you could say no to this week — and free up time or energy in the process?
- Which “no” style feels most natural for you? Which one might you experiment with?
A Week of Living Brilliantly is a free mini-course designed to spark new ideas, gently poke your thinking, and maybe (hopefully) even delight you.
Seven days. Seven different teachers who’ve shaped me. One short lesson each day from September 29–October 5.
If this lesson stirred something inside you, imagine what 52 in one year could do.
That’s what The Year of Living Brilliantly offers: a short lesson every week to gently nudge you to think more clearly, connect to new possibilities, and shift to the positive.
Until Wednesday, October 8 at 11:59pm ET, you can join The Year of Living Brilliantly for 20% off with code WOLB.
