• Have you told someone “no” lately? It’s good for you.

    19 Aug 2010

    Jack Canfield had a great quote that relates well to information security (and the lack of time to manage it) as well as our overall careers. He said:

    “Success depends on getting good at saying no without feeling guilty. You cannot get ahead with your own goals if you are always saying yes to someone else’s projects. You can only get ahead with your desired lifestyle if you are focused on the things that will produce that lifestyle.”

    A related quote that I strive to live by is by the late Richard Carlson:
    “Just because someone throws you the ball doesn’t mean you have to catch it.”

    Are you majoring in minors or focusing on what matters? Are people, email, Twitter posts, etc. distracting you from what truly matters? You have to focus on the urgent and important. That’s what security and career success are all about.