It’s NO-vember–a great time to release things that no longer serve us and think about a strategic no.
As for October 31st, I am no longer a rep for any direct sales company after a 16-year journey in the direct sales world.
Please hear me, I love a lot of things about direct sales and it allowed me to enter the world of networking, relationship marketing, sales, etc. and opened many doors. I learned from every company and every up-line mentor and every customer. But closing that chapter feels right and good.
Our best yesses are important and so are our strategic NOs.
“Make my path straight” is a daily prayer of mine. That often means trusting God to open doors…and close doors.
Sometimes it’s a friendship fizzling out. It might be a group we helped start that is dissolving. Perhaps it’s a project we’re not asked to participate in. It can feel like failure or rejection but it’s really a redirection.
We ask God for billboards and signs but they’re hard to see in the moment. Yet they guide us along the path toward greater things and a higher calling. If you’re like me, I can usually only see them in hindsight. Then I recognize God’s faithful hand in all of it.
For sure I have been a stumbling block for someone else. They needed to move on in order to fulfill their calling and I wasn’t a part of that picture. And that’s OK. I hope and pray their journey takes them where they need to go! And the people I’ve needed to move on from?? I hope they wish me well, too, and go on to find new connections.
The thing about a strategic no is it often frees up a role someone else is meant to play.
Other times we’re simply meant to move on to something else. We might not even know until we get a few steps down the road. For me, I felt a pull to stop being “under” organizations or businesses–I was tired of being in someone’s downline all the time. I don’t feel led into a future of direct sales but if I do ever lead a team, I want to do it MY way. I’ve had so many amazing leaders over the years and it isn’t about them–it’s about me needing to forge my own trail. I don’t want my success to depend on them or vice verse.
Maybe you’re feeling led to give something up or move on from a commitment or like you’ve outgrown what use to be a terrific opportunity.
What’s something you can say NO to in November? What do you need to release before the end of the year? A strategic no might be just what you need.
GM Tabitha. I’m Marietta Taylor and I made an appointment for Tuesday November 16th to have my colors done. You said I would have a email giving directions to your place of business. I just want to inform you that I haven’t received it yet.