<p><p>Just because opportunities are aligneddoesn’t mean they’re right.</p></p><p>You can be clear on who you are. You can build strong rituals. You can surround yourself with people who tell the truth. And still get buried.</p><p>Because growth doesn’t test your ambition first. It tests your capacity. And most leaders miss this moment.</p><p>Today, Shawn names the leadership truth most people resist:</p><p><strong>not every good opportunity deserves a yes.</strong></p><p>Through a season of rapid visibility, live events, and constant momentum, he shares how success can quietly drain presence when opportunity goes unchecked.</p><p>Not because the work is wrong. But because the life underneath it starts to thin.</p><p>This episode reframes discernment as a form of leadership maturity. Not scarcity. Not fear. But protection of identity.</p><p>Because the opportunities that cost you your presence will eventually cost you what matters most.</p><p><strong>In This Episode</strong></p><p>* Why growth brings options before it brings clarity</p><p>* How leaders confuse alignment with availability</p><p>* The hidden cost of saying yes too often</p><p>* Why unchecked opportunity drains presence, not just time</p><p>* How to tell the difference between a good opportunity and a right one</p><p>* Why real strategy is subtraction, not addition</p><p><strong>✦ Reflection Prompts</strong></p><p>* Where am I saying yes out of fear instead of alignment?</p><p>* Which commitments feel heavy because they no longer fit who I’m becoming?</p><p>* What part of my life is running on leftovers right now?</p><p>* If I were starting fresh today, what would I not choose again?</p><p><strong>✦ The Boost (Action Step)</strong></p><p>Run the <em>Opportunity Avalanche Question</em>.</p><p>Look at your current commitments. Projects. Partnerships. Promises.</p><p>Then ask yourself, without negotiating:</p><p><strong>“If I were starting from scratch today, which of these would I still say yes to?”</strong></p><p>Pay attention to what you hesitate to answer. The commitments you wouldn’t choose again are not neutral. They’re costing you presence.</p><p>Opportunity doesn’t need to be rejected. It needs to be <em>filtered</em>.</p><p>If you want support clarifying what’s truly aligned in this season, book a <a target="_blank" href="https://go.successblueprintconsulting.com/widget/bookings/identity-clarity"><strong>No-Cost Identity Clarity Call</strong></a>. We’ll identify where opportunity is pulling you off center</p><p>and what needs to be protected next.</p><p><strong>✦ On the Next Episode</strong></p><p><strong><em>The Good vs. The Best</em></strong></p><p>Arc 2, <em>The Sacred No,</em> continues:<em> </em>You’ve rebuilt your identity. You’ve anchored your rituals. You’ve invited truth-tellers into your life.</p><p>Now comes the real test. Can you protect it?</p><p>Because alignment isn’t lost in chaos. It’s lost when you say yes to things that almost fit.</p><p><strong>✦ If Today’s Episode Sparked Something…</strong></p><p>* Share it with someone buried under “good” right now</p><p>* Subscribe to <em>Daily Power Boost</em> for rhythm-based identity resets</p><p>* Join the R.E.A.L. Mastery™ Hub → <a target="_blank" href="http://realmasteryhub.com">realmasteryhub.com</a></p><p>* Apply for <em>Beyond the Boost</em> live coaching</p><p>✦ <strong>Engage With Me Online</strong></p><p>* Instagram: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/coachshawnmichael">@coachshawnmichael</a></p><p>* TikTok: @coachshawnmichael</p><p>* YouTube: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/@coachshawnmichael">@coachshawnmichael</a></p><p>* LinkedIn: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachinguatemala">@coachinguatemala</a> </p><p><strong>✦ References & Influences</strong></p><p>* <strong>Greg McKeown – </strong><strong><em>Essentialism</em></strong> on disciplined subtraction</p><p>* <strong>Jim Collins – </strong><strong><em>Good to Great</em></strong> on focus and leadership restraint</p><p>* <strong>Parker Palmer – </strong><strong><em>Let Your Life Speak</em></strong> on integrity and wholeness</p><p>* <strong>Joe Hudson – </strong><strong><em>The Art of Accomplishment</em></strong> on alignment over performance</p><p>* <strong>Marshall Rosenberg – </strong><strong><em>Nonviolent Communication</em></strong> on honest self-responsibility</p><p></p><p>With strength and heart,</p><p>❤️🔥 <strong>Shawn Michael</strong></p><p>Stay close.</p> <br/><br/>Get full access to True North: Your guide to an intentional life at <a href="https://trunorth.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">trunorth.substack.com/subscribe</a>