Apr 17
The Math Equation of Saying No
About 4 years ago I went from “I’m not good at social media” to “social media is a skill which I have to become good at in order to create the change I wish existed in the world.”
Well, this month I went from, “I’m not good at saying no” to “saying no is a skill which I have to become good at in order to best serve my family, my staff, and those doing my program thanks to my decision 4 years ago.”
As my Instagram grew to 900,000 followers, and then after going on the Joe Rogan podcast to over 1 million, the amount of “opportunities” I have had is staggering.
Let’s take an example:
On average I have about 10 influencer “opportunities” per day. These are often great companies, podcasts, etc. — but it’s physically impossible to do them all.
It was shooting educational videos from my yard and getting people RESULTS from my accessible program that put me onto the worldwide fitness scene in the first place — not collaborating. Joe Rogan wanted me on his podcast because he got RESULTS from my work — not because I was collaborating!
But now as a result, I have the “opportunity” to deviate from the very formula that makes me, my family, my staff, and my members happy.
So I had to formulate a new process when I receive a request:
“Is this request of me something my family, my staff, and those doing my program would want me to do?”
And that results in “no” to 99% of these “opportunities” requested of me.
If I rewind to March of 2021, visiting Mark Bell for his podcast most definitely was in the best interest of my family, my staff, and even my online members, because Mark’s attention on the ATG program since then has led to breakthroughs for many of them. That’s thanks to things like reverse band powerlifting technology applied to mobility moves which can be tough to master, such as the ATG Split Squat (click for fast video showing this).
The idea is not to say no to everything, but rather to have a bulletproof framework, because you only have so much time in your day, and in your life. Thus, mathematically: “no” is not a negative!
“No” is actually a “YES” to something else.
Thinking of “no” as “YES” to something else has really helped me overcome feeling bad about saying no. Saying “no” to someone who asks something of me usually means saying “yes” to those who need me even more.
I start and end each day with my wife and my son. I work each day with my staff, for our online members. Those are the people I have to prioritize.
So if I don’t face up to saying no as a skill, it could reduce the happiness of me, my family, my staff, and those supporting us.
I have no regrets, but once I realize a weak point in myself, facing up to it and turning it into a strength has been a key part of my journey thus far.
My knees were once my greatest weakness and now they’re my greatest strength. You have the power to change. But it starts with a decision and it happens by an actionable formula.
Hope that helps.
Yours in Solutions,
Ben
