Saying 'Yes' and saying 'No'

As our celebration of Women's Month draws to a close, we are reflecting on the power of saying "yes"—to opportunities, to collaboration, to others — and also to ourselves. Paulo Coelho's words, "When you say yes to others, make sure you are not saying no to yourself," resonate deeply with the challenges many of us often face in balancing our personal needs with the demands of work, family, and society.?

So often, we find ourselves prioritising the needs of others, leaving little room for ourselves.?We are inviting you to purposefully explore how saying "yes" to your own growth, well-being?and purpose can transform not just your life, but the lives of those around you.

In this special edition of CreateSpace, we share a video, stories & quotes from women who have embraced their inner voice, courageously carving out spaces for self-care and fulfillment amidst the noise of daily obligations. We encourage you to reconsider where your energy is flowing and to remind yourself that your "yes" to others should never come at the cost of your own peace and progress. Together, let's celebrate the strength it takes to honour ourselves while uplifting those around us.

Why you need a 'not to do' list

What if we whispered in your ear that they key to productivity has less to do with addition and more to do with subtraction?

Many of us wake up feeling overwhelmed by the thought of what we need to accomplish in a day. Adding to this, the lines between our personal and professional lives are more blurred than ever. We engage with work chats after hours, check our emails over weekends and never quite shut off. We complain about the complexity of our lives - and forget that some of this is self-imposed. Letting go of tasks demands mindfulness. It’s far harder than adding. It requires new ways of thinking and focused action.

Here’s a great article from Herrmann Australia-with key questions for each of our dominant thinking styles - on how to create your ‘not to do’ list.

Mastering the art of saying 'No'

Once you have your 'Not?to do' list - how do we master the art of saying "No"?

Click here to download our Whole Brain Hack on how to say no effectively to the thinkers in different quadrants:

Before agreeing to any request, think about what you might be sacrificing in your existing commitments. Not every "Yes" is beneficial.

If a request catches you off guard, it's acceptable to respond with "Let me think about it" or "Maybe." This gives you? time to evaluate the request according to your needs and the thinking styles of the person you're responding to.

Try this hack to say "No" in a way that respects both your time and the preferred communication style of the different thinking quadrants.

Playing our own game

In her book, 'If I loved myself', Eilat Aviram delves into the transformative power of self-love and its profound impact on our journeys. Self-love empowers us to listen to our own truth, say no when we need to and yes when it serves us to help us create a life that is authentic and uniquely ours. “Don’t say ‘Yes’ when you want to say ‘No’, it’s bad for everybody. If it's not your truth, your needs are not being met, and you become unhappy.” says Eilat.

Brené Brown puts it beautifully, ”When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated.” Eilat finds using the metaphor of a tennis court very useful in talking about boundaries.

Read more here

CreateConsulting is honoured to work with incredible women across industries.?

This Women’s Month, we a celebrate a selection of exceptional women who inspire us daily.?From groundbreaking work to innovative leadership, these women have shown us what it means to lead with courage and vision.

Click here to view all their unique perspectives - what they’ve said yes and no to - in their leadership journeys. We hope their words encourage you to lead with heart and seize every opportunity to make a difference.

Certified Practitioners: An invitation

Our Directors, Melanie and Justin Kiley , Master Facilitators for Herrmann, have been invited to host the upcoming Certified Practitioners in Practice (CPiP) online workshop!?

Join them on 5 September from 17h00 - 18h00 SAST (11h00 - 12h00 ET) to unlock the power and harness the full potential of Emotional Intelligence using WBT to gain a deeper of understanding yourself and?others.

This is a great opportunity for Herrmann Certified Practitioners around the globe to engage with two thought leaders in the field. Melanie and Justin are passionate about igniting the best thinking for a better world. PS: If you are not a Certified Practitioner and would like to be?- Connect with us .

Register here

We are proud to showcase "IGNITE: IPS Empowering Women in Technology," an innovative leadership development initiative in partnership with the Infrastructure Production Services division within the Standard Bank Group.?

This blended learning journey aims to boost the development of women leaders.

This short clip will give you a glimpse into the empowering journeys of these women as they redefine leadership in the tech industry. See how their journey unfolded and the key challenges tackled to support their growth and career progression.

A huge well done to the amazing IGNITE leaders on the impactful changes and innovations they are driving.

This Women's Month, at CreateConsulting , we've chosen to spotlight one of our favorite rules from Tara Mohr's "10 Rules for Brilliant Women " — Rule #6: Question the Voice That Says "I'm Not Ready Yet."?

We believe this rule is particularly valuable for you, our community of leaders and decision-makers, who are continually pushing the boundaries of what's possible in your fields.

If you are feeling like you are not yet ready?to achieve your goal - Click here for some reflection questions and an exercise that may just help you to take that leap.?

Download it here

Our purpose is to awaken conscious leadership, develop powerful teams and transform your organisation through conversations that matter.?

We hope this Women’s Month edition of CreateSpace has stimulated fresh thinking about the power of saying ‘YES’ and ‘NO’.

Whether it’s the book that wants to be written, the business that wants to be started, the community project that wants to be birthed. The new art form or pursuit that is beckoning, the trip that wants to be taken, or the move that wants to be made.

You may not know all the details, or the how, or how this fits into how you’ve always thought of yourself. That is all okay.?

We hope that this edition has equipped you to say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ and if it's ‘Yes’ that David Whyte’s beautiful poem will inspire you to take the first step.

Start close in,?

don’t take the second step or the third,

start with the first thing, close in,

the step you don’t want to take.

We would love to hear from you.

With warm regards,

Mel, Justin and Dani and Joanne