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Saying No (Even to Good Things)

The email came from a dear friend, one I hadn’t seen for a while. “I’m sorry I’ve been missing in action recently,” she wrote. But she had an offer in hand.

She was a member of “an invite-only group of entrepreneurs who are working in the social sector space. We’re a cohort of designers, developers, digital strategists, and PR experts who come together each year to learn how to run our businesses better.” Their upcoming annual meeting would take place in Grand Cayman—and they wanted me to be the featured guest. The lure was obvious: a chance to see my good friend, have interesting conversations with cool entrepreneurs, and land a free trip to a beach resort?

And yet. Something small tugged at me. I wanted to ...

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