Already Decided
I watched an interview with a famous actress, and she was telling the interviewer about how she had decided early in her career that she would not do nudity. She consciously made the decision
so that when the question came up, she would already know the answer. She did not want to be swayed from her core values in a moment of pressure.
Sure enough, she was soon auditioning for a role of a lifetime–the role which would put her opposite a major Hollywood star and take her movie career to a new level–and there were love scenes in the movie. When she was asked about nudity, she already knew her answer: no.
She was still offered the role.
She is now an Academy Award winning actress.
Me
I’ve been thinking a lot about my personal constitution. What are those questions which I can answer for myself (or have answered for myself) that will make going forward simpler?
One article of my constitution is that I will only say ‘yes’ to opportunities which will make my life more fun and more enjoyable.
Not too long ago, I was approached with an ‘opportunity for advancement.’ It was a nice gesture, and I appreciated being considered. However, the ‘opportunity for advancement’ was completely incongruent with the direction of my life. So, my ‘no, thank you’ was a no-brainer.
The offer essentially translated to a little more money, a new fancy title, less time to write, and less time to work with my students in Belinda Smith Creative. The position would also bring a LOT more stress.
There was a time when I would’ve given a lot of thought to all the reasons why I should accept the offer.
I would’ve spent days laboring over the pro’s and con’s, called several friends and wasted precious time worrying about whether I was really sure I was making the right decision.
Now that I’ve decided to say ‘yes’ only to opportunities which will make my life more fun and enjoyable, saying no to the offer took exactly two seconds: No, thank you.
Period.
The end.
Making decisions when you already know the answers is so much simpler.
You
When you think about your life, are there decisions you can make today? Decisions you can make right now so that when the questions are asked of you, you already know the answer?
I challenge you to make a list this week of three questions you can answer ‘yes’ to and three to which you can answer ‘no.’
To Your Adventure,
Belinda
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Belinda, I’m so glad I read your blog today, but I wish I’d read it yesterday 🙂 I needed this. Badly. Thanks for the challenge of making the list. I’m on it!
I love how solid and true an absolute “yes” is to you! Thank you for being a shining example of how to stay aligned with your own constitution.
thanks, belinda, for the reminder. this is HUGH!