It doesn’t matter the industry – we all take on jobs and projects that seem too good to be true. We are often tempted by immediate guaranteed income versus what we say we’re really working towards.

When faced with such an opportunity, you need to tune into what your instincts are saying. Are they telling you to pass on the opportunity or fully commit? Are you accepting the project because it’s “money now” even though the pay out is low, given the amount of work required? It takes courage to say no to immediate income however there is something else to consider.

If I look back on all the projects I should have said no to, I’d have to admit that there were many things that made the overall return on project, unenjoyable. There were many red flags that I just chose to ignore. The requirements were stringent, I was executing on tasks and using zero creativity, my thinking or insight was shut down, the project morphed into an unrecognizable creature, and in the end – I felt depleted versus energized.

If your goal is to land more strategic work then you must trust your gut or the whispers that roar internally, and say “no”! Saying no to the projects you don’t want, makes room for the one’s that you do.