What do powerful words look like?

When you think of powerful words, you probably imagine Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address, or JFK giving a speech about America’s mission to go to the moon. Or maybe you imagine an author like Maya Angelou talking about how she overcame a difficult childhood.

But powerful words aren’t just reserved for classic speeches or world-renowned books. You have powerful words, too. In fact, there is a single two-letter word that has more power than anything else in your vocabulary.

But first, a quote from E.B. White, who was the author of classic children’s books such as Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web. He was also the second half of the Strunk & White duo, who was responsible for ​The Elements of Style​—the best little book every writer should read.

He said, “I must decline, for secret reasons.” We do not know the reasons he declined, but we do know this: he said “no” to an invitation and he didn’t elaborate on the reasons. He was confident enough in his reasoning to let his simple “no” be a no.

“No” is such a small word—just two simple letters. But it has immense power because it can give you the freedom to make time for your writing and focus on what is most important to you.

You have a lot of things pulling you in different directions. It’s OK to say no. You can’t do everything, and you can’t please everybody.

If your writing is going to be a priority, you must make time and space in our lives to write. That means saying no sometimes. It’s easier said than done. But if you want to reach your full potential as a writer, you must focus on doing the work that matters, rather than trying to make everybody else happy.

That little two-letter word, NO, is the key to your success.