Your HELL YEAH Wake-Up Call
Spark #153 - “If it’s not a HELL YEAH, it’s a no.” — Derek Sivers
Most of us are drowning in mediocrity.
We’ve said yes to too many things we don’t even care about.
We stay busy. Reacting, juggling, doing.
But in all that noise, we miss the good stuff.
The real stuff.
The stuff that would make us say HELL YEAH if we had the space to notice.
So when I read Derek Sivers’ book Hell Yeah or No, I was jolted into action.
I made a list.
Everything on my plate: projects, tasks, should-do’s.
It looked like this:
HELL YEAH – writing these Sparks. They keep flowing. I’m committed for 3 more months.
KINDA COOL – recording meditation and movement practices for YouTube, Insight Timer. It’s fine. But the enthusiasm is gone.
NO – Instagram posts. Nope. Gotta go. It's dead to me. I said good-bye last month.
Your list might look different: work projects, social invites, side gigs, volunteer stuff. That’s the point.
The list made things real clear, real fast.
I saw what actually matters.
What makes me feel alive.
Sivers’ advice is simple:
Say no to almost everything.
Do less.
But whatever you do, do it All. The. Way.
That’s the shift.
Try it:
List it – Everything you’re doing. Work. Home. Side stuff.
Say it – Read each one out loud.
Feel it – Notice your body. Lit up? Tense? Dull?
Name it – HELL YEAH. KINDA COOL. NO.
Don’t overthink.
Go with your gut.
Then take action.
Say no to almost everything.
Stop drowning in stuff that’s just “kinda cool.”
And start massively leaning into what makes you say HELL YEAH.
We miss out on the great because we’re busy with the mediocre.
—Derek Sivers
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Good one! I am sooo happy that Sparks is still (for now) on your Hell Yea list!
I call this a 'full-body yes'. And it so works to only do what my body says a great big yes to! But as this has come through, it might be time for me to go through what's crept into my life, yet again!