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“Hell Yeah or No”
September 26, 2018

I’ve been unemployed for three weeks now.

Over this time period I’ve experienced a wide spectrum of emotions and received all sorts of contradictory advice. Depending on who I talk to I can feel liberated and excited about what lies ahead or lost and terrified because I have no income while living in New York City.

It’s a confusing time.

 

Do I listen to the people who tell me to take my time and not rush into a new venture without thinking it through? Or do I listen to the folks that insist that I should get a job ASAP to assure my finances and stay afloat in the big city?

All of these conflicting thoughts swirling around my head have caused me to look for a method to sort it all out. How do I make important decisions when nothing is black and white?

 

On Wednesday I had the chance to get lunch with friend and fitness entrepreneur, Daphnie Yang, who had her own take on my situation. Daphnie has spent the last decade building a successful personal training business in Manhattan and is someone who has been in my shoes before.

When I told her about my conundrum she had her own thoughts on how to handle it. She had recently heard a talk by famed entrepreneur Derek Sivers, creator of CD Baby, who developed a simple method for making difficult decisions in his life.

He calls the method “Hell Yeah or No.”

 

The “Hell Yeah or No” Method

Derek Sivers makes decisions by asking himself “Is my answer to this a ‘Hell Yeah’ or a No?”

He uses this whenever someone approaches him with a difficult question and you can use this method too. You can apply it both in your personal life and when making career decisions.

 

Here’s how to think about it:

Say that someone offers you a job but you’re really not sure that it’s a great fit and you have a feeling you can find something better elsewhere. Since it’s NOT a “Hell Yeah” it’s a “No.” You decline the job and start looking for something better.

On the other hand, say that your friend wants to start a business around surfboards which is something you’re really passionate about as well. You’ve thought it through and realized this would be perfect for you. This would be a “Hell Yeah” scenario.

 

 

I love this method because it forces you to be selective and choose only what is the perfect fit for you. Too often we make decisions out of fear or to appease someone who’s done us a favor.

But what is right for us? Are we truly excited about the opportunity or are we just doing it because it “makes sense”?

Furthermore, by eliminating all of the things in our life that are not a “Hell Yeah” we can focus on what truly matters. Too much of our life is spent on menial tasks that don’t excite us or jobs that don’t fulfill us. What if we start saying “No” to these things and start being selective about how we spend our time and energy?

 

My friend Daphnie has used this method throughout her career and it has led her to levels of success as an entrepreneur that she had never dreamed of before. Her “Hell Yeah’s” have powered her to be the best at what she loves and it shines through her business success.

Thanks to Daphnie’s advice and Derek’s methodology, I have a whole new lens from which to view my scenario. From now on every difficult decision I face I’ll be thinking, “Is this a Hell Yeah?” If it’s not, I’ll pass.

 

You too can use this method to navigate your own career and feel more confident about your direction. Everyone is going to have different “hell yeah’s” so there is little use in listening to the advice of others. Instead, listen to the voice within.

Your next difficult decision, pause and ask yourself, “is this a hell yeah or a no?”

Clarity will come.

Want to work through a specific challenge in your life? Email me at brendan@straddletheline.co and I’d be happy to learn how I can help.

 


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