When you are building a new business or growing the business you have loved and expanded for awhile it can be hard to know what to give your physical, emotional and financial energy to.

You can read all of the books, take the business classes, talk to your peers etc. but when it comes down to it YOU have to make daily decisions that lead you into a creative life for your business.

I love that Elizabeth Gilbert states that a creative life is not if you are a gardener, painter, dancer, chef etc., a person that lives a creative life is a person that chooses “curiosity over fear” on a daily basis. Time and time again you choose to not let fear drive your decisions.

Have you ever thought about what fear looks like?  It can look different for each of us but it can be procrastination, perfection, settling, control, inability to make a decision, letting others decide for you and even saying yes to things you really want to say no to.

When you say yes to everything you are also saying no to YOUR gifts, dreams in your heart, goals for your life and creativity and time and energy for your family.  It can be a fear of missing out, the belief that because so many others are doing it that you should too or the desire to please everyone else around you.

I am contacted almost daily with beautiful offers and opportunities.  I have to say no to almost all of them.   Sometimes it can be hard but because I have some boundaries in place about how often I travel away from my family each year, how many online classes I will teach each year etc. the work and decisions are many times already decided for me. I have a very beautiful and full life that is rich with home, family, business, friends and creativity.  I do not say yes to many things I do not want to do. From little to big things I try to be honest with myself, family, friends and business.  I have learned what it feels like to resent saying yes, the energy that it robs from me and the disservice that is to the other person.  I love and thrive with a full life but I do not like a busy life.

Sit down with the most important and trusted people in our life and come up with answers to simple questions like…How often do I want to travel each month?  What is my consulting fee? Teaching fee? etc.  You will be surprised with how much easier it is to say no to say yes when you have taken some time to already have answered some of these questions for yourself, business and family.  Once you have done that I would encourage you to take each offer and opportunity that comes your way and ask yourself some questions.

1. Do I even want to do this? Does this offer align itself with me and my brand? Is this collaboration authentic?

2. Do I have the time and energy to give my best?

3. How does this impact my family?

4. How does this impact my peace? Mental health? Physical health?

5. Will I resent saying yes?

6. Does it grow my brand, their brand or both?

7. Am I exposing my brand and business to whole new group of potential customers?  Is it worth the time and energy that this project/collaboration will take?

8. Am I doing this for others or is this the best decision for me, my creativity and business?

9. What can I say yes to if I say no to this?

What have you said yes to in business and in your personal life that you wish you would have said no to? What can you do next time? What do you need to say no to in your life right now so you can say YES to what is coming?

As a working artist, creator of jeaneoliver.com, author, and creative consultant, I’ve spent 17 years building a global creative business that combines family, passion, and purpose. In this exclusive guide, I’m sharing the exact framework we’ve used to:

• Build a diverse, sustainable creative business
• Travel the world teaching and creating
• Balance family life with business growth
• Stay adaptable in an evolving market

Join Creatively Made Business and start creating a life and business that thrives!