Every YES is also a NO

Borrowed from Joshua Becker on Becoming Minimalist (with my additions)

Every yes is also a no.

This is a principle we know to be true, but often forget. Perhaps we forget it because we fail to accept our limitation. But more likely, in a world where “more” is preached constantly, it can feel countercultural or like a sacrifice to intentionally choose no. Or it can feel, like the argumentative commenter above, that saying “no” will mean we are going to miss out.
But the truth remains: Every time we say yes to something, we are also saying no to something else.
This is not a principle we can argue against or rationalize away. It’s not opinion—it is reality.
Our lives are finite. Our time, money, energy, space, and focus are all finite. We only get so much of each. We all have one less day available on earth than we had yesterday. And once they are used, they’re gone. So whatever we choose to say yes to, we are also choosing to turn away from something else.
Economists call this opportunity cost. Defined in a textbook, it states, “Opportunity cost is the forgone benefit that would have been derived from an option other than the one that was chosen.” In other words, you can only spend your money on one thing—and once you spend it, every other thing you could have bought with it can no longer be purchased.
It’s a helpful term, and the concept plays out far beyond business schools and textbooks.
It shows up in each of our lives—every single day. Every yes is also a no—in our homes, our checkbooks, our calendars, our habits, and our hearts.

• When we say yes to buying an item we don’t need, we say no to something else—paying off debt, getting ahead financially, or an opportunity for generosity, (or tithing).
• When we say yes to another commitment, we say no to every alternative—or simply rest and presence (or time with God).
• When we say yes to another episode of that show on Netflix, we say no to reading (or Bible time) or solitude—or a conversation with our spouse (or time to pray).
• When we say yes to keeping possessions we no longer use, we say no to extra space.
• When we say yes to do something we don’t want to do, we say no to being available for something we do want to do (like serving at church).
• When we say yes to people-pleasing, we say no to choosing our own path ( or God's path for us).
• When we say yes to comparison, we say no to gratitude.
• When we say yes to the urgent, we often say no to the important.

We don’t always think in terms of tradeoffs. Sometimes we just say yes because it feels easier than no.
But over time, those decisions can fill our homes, calendars, and lives with commitments and clutter that keep us from what matters most (what God wants from us). That is the greatest danger.
None of us can say yes to everything. It is wise to learn how to say yes more carefully and to determine the filters you will use to say yes, no, or maybe later.
Life is made up of limited resources—and one precious opportunity to use them well.
So be careful what gets a yes. Because something else always gets a no.
And we only get one life to get it right. (And them our choice for eternity will be permanent)