The Power of Yes.

The word ‘yes’ is used in most people’s vocabulary on daily basis, but most people don’t realize how much power that three-letter word really has. 

As humans, we’re creatures of habit. For different reasons, we develop the same schedules every day. Whether it’s a daily schedule, eating the same foods or watching the same tv shows. We tend to get in this daily cycle of doing the same thing. Slowly falling deeper into this monotonous cycle. But what if saying ‘yes’ to something new opened up a new life of freedom, a new life of adventure.  

We’ve all had a moment of feeling uninspired or disconnected or like our lives are an endless cycle of not knowing our purpose. Simply saying the word ‘yes’ could change your life.  

When it comes to trying new things a lot of us say no because we either don’t want to try new things, we’re scared to take that leap of faith or a fear of failure. Whether it’s a new job, hanging out with friends or a new activity, it’s easier to say no. What if you said yes? What if you take that leap of faith? Imagine how many new opportunities you could have if you take that chance. I myself have fallen victim to saying no as my go to. Because of social anxiety or a fear of the unknown I’ve missed out on so many experiences and opportunities that could have benefited my life.  

American television producer Shonda Rhimes wrote a book called “Year of Yes.” This inspiring book is a tail about how her life changed when she committed to saying ‘yes’ to everything that scared her or made her nervous for a year. This year helped her find her voice, experience new things and so much more. According to nbcnews.com “Rhimes confesses to hiding her voice in her Grey’s Anatomy character Cristina Yang, allowing Yang to say all the things she wasn’t brave enough to say in the real world. But when Rhimes accepted that the real world could benefit from hearing her actual voice — that she could stand up and speak out on important issues and actually affect change — she swallowed her fears, wiped off her sweaty palms and began to speak.” 

Unlike Rhimes, you don’t have to start off by saying yes to everything. A lot of people don’t think they deserve good things out of life. But in all reality, you have the power.  Say yes to building new friendships or breaking off toxic ones. Say yes to loving your body, say yes to speaking up or most importantly, say ‘yes’ to saying ‘no.’  

The next time you want to say no, challenge yourself and say yes. The very act of doing the thing that scares you might undo your fear.