5 Filters for When to Say YES to an Opportunity

Opportunities in life occur when we say YES to them.

However, opportunities can swarm all around us the more we put ourselves out there and the more we make ourselves available to receiving them–and that can lead to:

• Overwhelm
• Unwise, impulsive choices
• Burnout
• Letting some of our core supporters down
• Regrets

It’s wise to have filters that you can run opportunities through. If it passes the evaluation, you enthusiastically say YES and go for it with all you’ve got. If it doesn’t, declare confidently a NO, knowing it would throw you out of balance or off your priorities to pursue it.

Filter 1: Does it line up with my personal values? Say YES if congruence. Say NO if dissonance.

Filter 2: Do I have the energy to give it 100%? Say YES if you have the bandwidth. Say NO if it would drain your batteries.

Filter 3: Do I have the time to give it 100%–and to not push any other priority into neglect? Say YES if you’ve counted the cost and its impact. Say NO if you’d drop some balls and make a mess.

Filter 4: Does it play to your strengths? Say YES if you’d add lots of value AND be energized. Say NO if you wouldn’t be consistently contributing the best you bring to the table.

Filter 5: Does it move you in the direction of your life vision and goals? Say YES if it’s on that trajectory. Say NO if it’s sideways energy, potentially delaying attainment of your brightest future.

Customize these filters and add your own. Then post them in a place where you do your reflection or weekly reviews. Delay any decisions until you have time to run it through your filter, and enjoy the confidence of decisions that are well-thought-out.

Another filter could be: running your opportunities by your coach! Need one of those? All top performers have a coach! Reach out at growingforward@paulcasey.org and we’ll see if it’s a fit. I have a couple client openings right now.