The Power of No (2 Min Read) | Vol. 176

November 07, 2025

“People think focusing is about saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.” — Steve Jobs

No-vember – The Power of No

Welcome to No-vember! Just as the trees shed their leaves in Autumn, we should drop our out-of-season commitments.

In the botanical world, this is called abscission—the ruthless process by which plants jettison anything not pulling its weight. Some trees even self-amputate whole limbs through cladoptosis, dropping branches that are shaded, infested, or diseased. While we’re out here admiring fall colors, trees are basically running hostile takeovers on their own branches. If a limb can’t contribute to next spring’s growth? It gets the ax. Literally.

Trees are maniacal resource managers. If only we were half as wise.

Our branches sag under the dead weight of past commitments. Stuff we said yes to in January that we should have quit in July. Time, energy, and focus are exhaustible resources. All those yeses accumulate. Stretch them too far, and we risk snapping in the next stiff breeze.

Ironically, in our effort to hoard opportunities, we excel at nothing. 

There’s extraordinary power in a simple no. Each no becomes an investment in our future self. Minutes cached. Energy preserved. Focus mustered for the moments that truly matter.  When you finally say yes—and mean it—you’ll have everything you need to achieve something extraordinary.

Not ten mediocre things. ONE extraordinary thing.

One question to ponder in your thinking time: What’s the cost of my out-of-date commitments? 

Make an Impact!
Jay Papasan
Co-author of The ONE Thing, The Millionaire Real Estate Agent & author of The Rookie Real Estate Agent