Ever have a hard time making decisions? You want to say yes to everybody. You want to make everybody happy. But your plate is too full and you’re way too stressed and if one more person asks you to volunteer for one more thing you’re just going to EXPLODE!!!
Been there done that. Both of these books offer different perspectives on deciding how to prioritize things in your life. Essentialism, by Greg McKeown, is more from a business, leadership-minded standpoint. The Best Yes, by Lysa TerKeurst, is from a female, God-oriented standpoint. I appreciate both standpoints. The books make similar points. Decide what you want in your life, what’s Essential, what’s the best yes. Then say no to everything else. As Lysa TerKeurst points out, by saying no to things, you are saying yes to bigger, more important things.
If you’re strictly in the business of leadership and want to be a more effective leader, you can probably get away with just reading Essentialism. If you’re not of a Christian mind-set, then you probably wouldn’t feel comfortable with The Best Yes.
But The Best Yes is my favorite out of these two books. It doesn’t just deal with how to say no so you can say yes to better things. It deals with guilt and shame and focuses on loving well.
Read one, or both. You’ll not regret it.
Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin?
Do you simultaneously feel overworked and underutilized?
Are you often busy but not productive?
Do you feel like your time is constantly being hijacked by other people’s agendas?
If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist.
The Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done. It is not a time management strategy, or a productivity technique. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution towards the things that really matter.
By forcing us to apply a more selective criteria for what is Essential, the disciplined pursuit of less empowers us to reclaim control of our own choices about where to spend our precious time and energy – instead of giving others the implicit permission to choose for us.
Essentialism is not one more thing – it’s a whole new way of doing everything. A must-read for any leader, manager, or individual who wants to learn who to do less, but better, in every area of their lives, Essentialism is a movement whose time has come.
Are you living with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule and aching with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul?
Lysa TerKeurst is learning that there is a big difference between saying yes to everyone and saying yes to God. In The Best Yes she will help you:
Cure the disease to please with a biblical understanding of the command to love.
Escape the guilt of disappointing others by learning the secret of the small no.
Overcome the agony of hard choices by embracing a wisdom based decision-making process.
Rise above the rush of endless demands and discover your best yes today.