Ryan Leak

Number two, I think it communicates focus.

And you're not saying that their request is unimportant.

you're saying your commitments are already spoken for.

And sometimes I've learned that this actually inspires the person you've said no to.

In fact, I've had people say, dude, I love the way that you say no.

In fact, it challenged me to say no more.

Another way that you could say it is, hey, I really appreciate you reaching out, but I'm just not able to take on anything else right now.

But hey, I'm cheering you on.

That's short.

It's kind.

It's also honest.

Now, there is another kind of no, and that's the people you want to say no to.

And if you had all of the margin in the world, you still would want to say no.

And I think that there is a way of being able to tell this person no without being rude or burning bridges.

And we definitely don't want to be the kinds of people that come across as dismissive.

And so here's a simple way to do that.

Sometimes you can just say, hey, thank you for thinking of me.

I'm just not the best person for this.

But hey, I hope it goes really well for you.

You didn't insult them.