SAY YOU EVENTUALLY SUCCEEDED TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS

I've decided recently that I want to say yes to things. Saying yes feels good. It feels expansive. I smile more when I say yes. It’s exciting to say yes.

When I say no, I find myself tightening. It feels like I’m closing off, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Fight or flight gets triggered, and most of the time, there’s no reason for this kind of physical response in my cushy first world life.

Now this doesn’t mean that I’ll say yes 100% of the time. Obviously there are times where it is important and good to say no. But generally, if I can find a way to say yes, I will. This is for all different aspects of my life – professional and personal.

Invited to a conference? YES!

Going out to dinner? YES!

Meeting a friend for tea? YES!

Trying something new that’s scary? Uh… YES?

WHY YOU SHOULD SAY YES (You Eventually Succeeded) 

Yes feels good to say. It feels expansive. Yes feels welcoming. It is inviting and allowing, encouraging and including. Even saying the word “yes” puts the beginning of a smile on your face.

When you say no, the opposite happens. It feels like everything gets tight. Things close off. Even saying the word no stimulates the fight or flight response. This is not a relaxing thing – it’s like insta-defense in a single word!

And when we hear no, it’s even worse. Someone telling us no not only stimulates that fight or flight in us, but it feels like a closing off. It is a kind of rejection, cutting us off from things. Enforcing separation.

On the other hand, hearing yes is a completely different animal. We feel accepted, included, valued, and loved when we hear yes. Success is associated with yes.

Those are all the psychological reasons for saying yes instead of no, but there is something else that is good about saying yes – it puts you into new situations. You are forced to encounter new things and engage with new people. This is good for a whole lot of reasons.

Saying yes stretches your heart and mind. When you’re hanging with new people in new situations, you have to respond in new ways. You have to forge new neural pathways and experience empathy in different ways than you may have before. In short, you grow.

In addition to growing your mind and heart in positive ways, saying yes also opens new doors in your life. If you don’t get out there and try new things, you won’t have as many possibilities. That’s why saying yes is so important and helpful! This is how you find more clients, speaking gigs, coaches, friends, jobs – you name it!

For all these reasons…choose to say yes!

INSTEAD OF SAYING NO, SAY WAIT. 

Saying wait is a kind of yes. It's a delay, not a denial.

DELAYING, NOT DENYING. 

It’s important to remember that saying wait instead of yes is not a maybe or a no. Wait is a kind of yes. It’s just a delay – not a denial.

Sometimes we need to wait until things are in place before we can say yes, or before we’re ready to hear yes.

Waiting is not a problem. In fact, it can help you grow and shift in positive ways you never imagined – ways that a straight yes may not have afforded you.


So, don’t worry if you have to say “wait” instead of “yes.” Don’t worry if you hear “wait” instead of “yes.” Instead, look for the exciting new growth and opportunities created by saying “wait.” They are there. You just need to be open to seeing and receiving them.