Saying no to four thousand
4k of what? Yes, I am talking about money. Specific amount is not so important here and the only thing I wanted to express is that the amount is not negligible for most regular people like me. Four thousand dollars or euros would help, right? Let me tell you my personal story in which I said no to four thousand euros.
Firstly, let me give you a bit more context because nobody gives you four thousand times the currency just like that unless it is inherited or you won a lottery. There is always some kind of an exchange that is happening so one can receive the agreed sum of money for value they bring to another party involved. In my case, the value I was supposed to provide was a technical solution to a specific problem - let's call it a software.
Art of communication
- You: 4k for a piece of software. That sounds cool.
- Me: Stop. Right. Here.
- Them: How much time would it take to implement?
- Me: 300 hours.
- Them: Let's do it.
- Me 1: Hell yes!
- Me 2: Yes, let's do it. I am already doing it, actually.
- Me 3: ... (Ouch. That hurts. No, thanks.)
Exchange of energy
It is not always about the money, I understand it, and 13 euros per hour is more than 0. Actually, I did a lot of projects in the past just for what they would become at the end of my effort because they gave me so much internal value and meaning. However, when talking about business, one needs to know how much to ask for a given job that needs to be done. Otherwise, you will get burnt by lowballing the offer, loosing motivation in the process as a consequence.
On the other end, someone receives the software that solves the problem. They are happy and you should be happy too. This right here is significant and if you want to keep the ball rolling, you better price yourself accordingly. Saying no was the way to go in my situation that happened 2 days ago and I couldn't be happier. This is also reason emergency fund exists as it gives you time to find the right opportunity. I will keep searching.
Maintaining focus
One NO prepares the space for a YES (ideally HELL YEAH and I know that is coming too) and this excites me the most. I am looking forward to saying YES in the near future to something that will be an exchange of positive energy on both sides of the relationship. Saying no meant setting clear boundaries - not to limit myself, but to protect my energy and elevate the potential I have. When I establish healthy limits, I create space for growth, focus, and success to flourish.