In 2008, Jim Carrey starred in a movie called “Yes Man.” In the movie Jim plays the character of Carl, whose life is slowly falling apart. His job is unfulfilling. His relationships are crumbling. He’s hitting rock bottom until he goes to a self-help seminar where a guru explains the power of “yes.”

The guru purports that you should say yes to everything and your whole world will change. Being a “No man” was shamed by the guru and his followers. Carl is skeptical at first but gives it a try. By saying yes to everything, Carl has a whirlwind of experiences that transform his life. He gets promoted at work; he meets a woman and falls in love; all while having exciting, spontaneous experiences.

Focus on What Matters Most 

While ultimately, the movie acknowledges that there can be too much “yes” in our lives, it reflects an underlying cultural pressure to say yes more often than we should. Whether it’s driven by a need to please other people, not wanting to appear rude to others, or wanting to gain approval from our boss, many of us dread the idea of having to tell other people “no.”

Years ago, as a church staff, Pastor Jeff had us read a book called “Essentialism” by Greg McKeown where I stumbled across this quote by John Maxwell:

“You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.” 

There’s something in me that resists John Maxwell’s statement. How can practically everything be unimportant? Many of us live our lives in almost the exact opposite manner. In our minds almost everything — our grocery lists, our kid’s practices, the home project left undone, the deadline at work — feels important. And yet, living with that mindset creates a lifestyle of feeling perpetually rushed, and as a result we feel perpetually tired.

Assess What's Most Important 

McKeown asserts that discerning what is essential in life, we can adopt attitudes and boundaries that protect our calendars, our minds, our workload, and more — so that we do less, but better. We critically assess what is most important now, and diligently protect that thing rather than constantly scrambling to do 10 things, 8 of which are probably not essential.

In fact, every “yes” to something is in fact “no” to another thing and vice versa. A “no” to a non-essential activity frees us to a “yes” to focus on what matters most.

Saying "No" to Distractions and "Yes" to the Essentials 

The truth of the matter is that there are things I enjoy that I need to say “no” to so that I can have the most important thing. For me, one area I’m working on saying “no” is distractions. I’m telling myself, “I don’t need to read another article about the upcoming UGA football season,” or “I don’t need to listen to another leadership podcast in the car.” What I need to say yes to is quieting my mind so I can focus more of the presence of Jesus with me, rather than filling it with entertainment and distraction.

Additionally, God has gifted me in certain ways to bless and serve other people. There’s an endless list of good things I can do in the name of Jesus, and yet God has created me to do a few things really well. If I can say “yes” to those essential things that I’m uniquely gifted in and let go of that internal guilt of saying “no,” I actually free myself up to make the greatest impact for the kingdom of God.

A Relentless Commitment to More Presence

Whether it’s your workplace, family calendar, relationships, or spiritual life, I’d encourage you to assess what God is specifically calling you to say “yes” to — and relentlessly commit to that thing. As a church, we recently focused on the idea of Less Distraction, More Presence during the Minimalist Challenge.

I hope you've been able to put into practice one or more of the challenges. If not, you can download The Minimalist Challenge calendar and start today. What you’ll end up with is a sense of peace, purpose, and fulfillment knowing you’re doing what God made you to do.

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