Overview: Understanding when to say no and why – keeping God’s purpose for my life the priority. 

My takeaway, ‘aha’ moments from this book: 

• Occasionally, I need to evaluate my current obligations and decide if I have too many irons in the fire.
  • This lets me know if I need to end a commitment, and it also lets me know where I am so that I know if I can say yes to any new commitments that are presented. 
• Don’t slap purpose across the face for the sake of saying yes to people. 
• “We must not confuse the command to love with the disease to please.” P. 5
• I must remember to seek God’s face before agreeing to add anything to my current load. Is this opportunity something He give me liberty to pursue, or does it distract from the purpose I know He has given me? Do I rely on Him to guide these decisions? 
• When I allow a break in my relationship with God, I set myself up for confusion and uncertainty. 
• Remember, God wants us to rest, not rush. 
• When I rush, I can easily miss hearing God’s still, small voice when He tries to guide me. 
• Overcommitting leads to living reactively instead of proactively and leads to exhaustion. 
• “A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul. An underwhelmed soul is one who knows there is more God made her to do.” P. 21
• How do we spend our souls? Doing what we know God called us to do? Or responding to the requests of people around us without taking time for what would feed our souls?
  • Schedule time for the things that fuel your soul! Be audacious enough to make it happen! 
  • If God gave me the burning desire and has equipped me to do it – then I should not feel guilty for making it a priority. 
  • If I don’t schedule time for it, then it will never come to fruition. 
  • Make the calendar the boss!
  • It’s about honoring God with our time – by spending our souls wisely in pursuit of what He has called us to do. 
  • Be intentional about your time, your energy, your soul. 
• Letting my schedule get overwhelming affects my soul and the sadness that comes with an overwhelmed soul is a hard thing from which to recover. 
• God entrusted me with this passion, it is selfish to keep it locked inside, with it I can be a blessing to others – which just may be why He gave it to me in the first place. 
• “Wisdom gather when my mind is engaged with truth. Wisdom scatters when I watch hours of mindless TV…” p. 39
• “Today’s choices become tomorrow’s circumstances.” P. 64
  • You will be what you are becoming! 
• Every choice will have an end result down the road with a string of choices between that happen like dominoes falling. Make sure you know where that choice is going and that you like the end product! Evaluate your choices and where they are leading you!
  • My personal example: when I eat sugar it makes me hungry for the rest of the day, if I am going to eat it, I try to wait until the end of the day so I am less likely to overeat throughout the day from the hunger cravings I created. No sugary coffee from Starbucks for me or my eating will be out of control for the day. 
• Spending time and energy – choose to help the masses over the few. She said no to several one-on-one meetings because when she evaluated the decision, she could help more people by putting that time into study for a conference speaking arrangement where hundreds could hear what she had to share. This is a wise concept – don’t get so caught up in the immediate feeling of helpfulness that you sacrifice your ability to help so many more.
  • A small no led to a bigger yes
  • It is easy to say no when there is a greater yes burning within! 
• Allowing myself a schedule that avoids me becoming a frantic woman will allow me to be more present with people when I spend time with them. I need to improve in this area!
  • “…my soul needs time for relationships.” P. 181
  • God created us to be social beings!
• Our brains aren’t wired for multi-tasking!
  • Too many simultaneous tasks will hurt not help! 
• “It takes courage to change the unhealthy patterns of our decision making. And anytime we need to be courageous, our deepest insecurities can make us want to back down from change.” P. 194
• “Gaining a new altitude can recalibrate our attitudes. When we can rise up on the wisdom of others and get a new view of our situations, our next steps seem a little clearer.” P. 208
  • Don’t go to friends whom you know will agree with the answer you want, find counselors that will give you unbiased, biblical, wise advice.