Saying no, and specializing

Somewhere recently I heard it said that the difference between successful and very successful people is that the latter say no to almost everything. By that measure, I am an abject failure, but I am getting better.

But this notion aligns with so much that is wise. Today I had a long meeting with a new client, then got a haircut and took Mary to the office, before hopping on a conference call for a Board thing, wherein I pushed something forward without getting formally stuck with leading a project, though I did suggest that I could do some nudging.

Then I heard that one client got a job, while received news that another had had a baby. Both were extremely welcome.

Most business gurus suggest that to have a successful business, you should really specialize quite narrowly -- which is really just a very specific way of saying no to a lot of possibilities -- and I get that. But the problem is that by doing so close yourself off to a lot of experience. So you narrow yourself. So in the end I still come down on balancing specialization and generalization.

And now, off to meet NC's next Treasurer, and then buy soy milk for Graham, before helping with math homework, and maybe working on my Pushkin lecture for next Monday. Sigh.