One of the most important things I did throughout the first decade and a half of my career was say "yes" to almost everything. I always erred on the side of leaning in, doing more, expanding the number of things I'm doing, etc. It created a stressful flood of over-work, but it also expanded my connections and capabilities dramatically and was worth it.
But it's also important to know when things are filled up. When too much expansion turns into lack of focus. When quantity gets in the way of quality. Eventually the number of requests became too much, so I started having to say "no" more. My default was always yes, so it took time to learn how to say no.
Going forward, I plan to get better at saying no, and to rein in my focus toward a smaller set of things. I'll still be doing quite a lot, but sometimes the stillness between actions is just as important as the actions themselves. It makes those actions more deliberate and impactful when they occur. Quality over quantity. Focus over expansion.
