“Asking myself “In a year, will I regret not doing this?” is a wonder ful way of discovering what’s wor th doing and what’s not” — Mar t y Being a freelance creative means that saying “no” feels difficult if work is precarious and underpaid. I of ten operate within a scarcit y mentalit y, so feel as if when I don’t take something on, it will never come back . This is probably because of my working - class upbringing, where sometimes turning down money feels completely foolish because you’re so used to scraping pennies together. Getting an ADHD diagnosis helped me understand my mind better and advocate for myself when working with brands and companies. Now I know exactly what I’m struggling with and I can be more aware of the specific things I need. Chanté I have found this to be true. A sking myself “In a year, will I regret not doing this?” is a wonder ful way of discovering what’s wor th doing and what’s not . I of ten think about what Pieter Levels [the prolific Dutch internet entrepreneur] says “The only way to get what you want in life is to repeatedly say no to what you don't .” Mart y I’m prett y cutthroat when it com es to setting boundaries, taking time off, and being offline. Book writing for me means completely disengaging from normal life and hunkering down with my laptop and a bunch of feelings. I think as a freelancer who grew up relatively poor, it’s really difficult to say no to any job. It’s usually right for how I’m structuring my time and focus, but I always feel that t winge of regret . I'm more of a yes person than a no person. I prefer to focus on what we can do rather than can't . As a mother of three, I tr y to squeeze the most out of the workday so I can enjoy my family in the evening and on weekends. I want this for ever yone at the agency. Making quick decisions and not second - guessing where a project is headed is the key to maintaining sanit y for ever yone. Plus, I surround myself with talented entrepreneurial thinkers who keep projects moving and grooving. R aven Myr a I'm the wrong person for thi s question. Ha ! I say “yes” to almost ever y thing that makes sense for me because I revere the oppor tunit y. Perhaps this is a vestige from my star t-up days or the fact that I'm a Black man in this countr y [ US A ]. W orking in t wo industries ( adver tising and academia ) where there aren't ver y many of us, I tend to shy away from saying “no” to oppor tunities. S ure, we should say “no” if it's out of our wheelhouse. And, of course, we should say “no” if the oppor tunit y comes at our peril, but it's those same oppor tunities that can change the course of your business. W hat's more impor tant than saying “no” is perhaps having the discernment to know what is a true oppor tunit y and what isn't . That is to say, it's not just saying “no” but knowing when to say “no.” Mar cu s Rewriting romantic my ths of the creative industr y 50 Re alit y check