With a dual-degree in computer science and electrical engineering from Duke, sheBOOM guest writer, Michele Reshef has a strong technical background and a passion for enabling both businesses and individuals to overcome any challenge — technical or otherwise. Having gained experience across a variety of industries, Michele strives to create a healthy, productive and open environment to help her projects and those around her reach success. She brings her fresh perspective as a young woman in business to readers of sheBOOM.

Say No.

Recently I’ve found myself saying “no” at work more often. This “no” doesn’t stem from a place of not wanting to contribute more, but rather from a deliberate process of aligning the vision of what I want my career to be, with where I spend my extra energy. Think of it as only swinging on those pitches you can see yourself hitting out of the park.

What I felt were rebellious no’s were actually my introduction to truly advocating for myself and where I want my career to be in the future. With the help of a friend, it was brought to my attention that I was giving my time and energy to places that didn’t necessarily give back to me. I was trying to hit every ball thrown my way and expending unnecessary energy. Why not instead pivot that energy into an area that could help grow my strengths and my career?

My passion is developing my peers and my strengths lie in building meaningful relationships with those I admire and relate to. Once I identified that for myself, I redistributed my spare time and energy. Now, everything I commit to I am excited about, and can clearly articulate how it plays to my strengths and is driving my career forward.

Need help crafting that refusal? Try using the word “don’t” instead of “can’t”, implying you would if you could.

Long story short, say no.