You may have noticed here in our gutsy village I spend a lot of time teaching professionals on how to become comfortable, being uncomfortable asking for and fully expecting to receive a YES every time. Today I want to flip the coin around and speak to the other side of that gutsy strategy where you become so accustomed and desensitized to that process that you learn to reverse it as well.

Asking for the YES is essential, but it isn’t enough. You want to be become really good at setting boundaries around your time and work as well. If you consider yourself someone who too often says YES to everyone, such as:

“Yes I’ll agree to that project because you’re promising me a promotion.”

“Yes I’ll help you out because I assume you will pass my name around.”

then in a gutsy state of mind, it’s high time to experiment with saying NO for a little while and push back on people. This is where you work a gutsy muscle by setting boundaries with those who lean too much on you and eat up your time.  It’s a simple yet powerful step you can take to honor the structure in your life and it’s also powerful energy work.

Most people walk around not knowing what they really want which makes it easy to fold into other people’s agendas, instead of their own. Or they feel they have no control over their current situation: It is what it is…

This week , I want you to freely point others to someone else when you need, preserving your energy and focus to do more of your own great work. Now if you’re like many professionals I’ve coached, you may actually want to work on something new but realize there’s a cost to that or the request is coming from your own management, eeek! Now what?

If it is a manager making the request, I’d like you to put yourself in their shoes. Wouldn’t you want to know that this new workload means that X, Y and Z will be delayed? Now if those things are not negotiable and cannot be impacted, well then you’re looking at perfectly polite pushback or a 60+ hour work week again. If you choose the latter, I’d say it’s time to see whether your current environment is one where you will grow and whether you’re feeling gutsy enough to move on and find a role that works for you and your family.

It’s a gutsy move and your responsibility to layout the PROS and CONS of what the impact will be if you take more on your shoulders. Good leaders get this.

Now, we both know there are people out there who consider 60+ hour work weeks their normal and therefore asking you to put in that time is a no brainer. What’s the big deal ? This is how we roll. Why should you be treated special?

I’ve heard it all , I was in Corporate America for 20 years; this scene plays out everywhere in any industry.  There’s nothing too shocking anymore.

So, the question isn’t whether that’s expected of you. It may very well be the culture you’re sitting in, is perfectly happy to keep stacking up the work. The question is whether you’re feeling gutsy enough to push back with a smile and let them know the cost and benefits to what you can and cannot do.

Can you give them the HOW MUCH? BY WHEN? How much you can deliver and by when that’s realistic, setting expectations.

Life has a beautiful checks and balance system . Newton’s third law reminds us: for every action in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. When you overwork yourself or attach to negative emotions, acknowledge them but try not to linger too long in that state. Swiftly change course to re-calibrate and seek out positive actions that take back your power, such as speaking up and pushing back or walking away, unattached to the outcome.

The other option is being motionless, not speaking up and not reaching out for support that will not only keep you stuck emotionally, but also replay the same results again, with another stack of projects you would be expected to churn out, not to mention the ripple effect that spills over to your family time where resentment can quickly set in.

Perfectly polite push back is a gutsy strategy you should feel free to put in play to protect your energy and make way for new opportunities that otherwise would never present themselves, had you not stood up and set realistic expectations. Let’s be honest – had you not stood up for yourself.

No guts, no glory .

To your success and taking confident risks this week. You are always being guided. Listen to the gutsy whispers and stay in motion at all times. That’s how it works. Ready when you are!

Have a great weekend,

Marisa Santoro, Leadership, Diversity & Inclusion Trainer and Career Coach.

CEO and Founder:  www.inrshoes.com

+1.844.626.3410 | Marisa@inrshoes.com

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Marisa Santoro
Marisa Santoro