Have you ever read the book, or seen the film, The Yes Man? The book is by British writer Danny Wallace, who wrote about his own experiences of what happened when he decided to say ‘yes’ to everything. He had been dumped by his girlfriend and instead of getting out there and living it up, he was staying in and avoiding people.
Here’s what he pledged:
‘I, Danny Wallace, being of sound mind and body, do hereby write this manifesto for my life. I swear I will be more open to opportunity. I swear I will live my life taking every available chance. I will say Yes to every favour, request, suggestion and invitation. I WILL SWEAR TO SAY YES WHERE ONCE I WOULD SAY NO.’
As you can imagine, when he started saying YES instead of no, his life got really interesting.
Soon after vowing to be more open to things, he won $45,000, got a job as a TV exec, travelled the globe, met a host of new people, re-invented his love life, and a whole lot more.
Imagine what could happen to you if you started saying yes to things?
When I was researching for this blog post I came across a quote that completely resonated with me. It was from an address by Eric Schmidt, Google’s executive chairman, who gave a talk at the University of California at Berkeley a couple of years ago. Here’s what he said:
“Find a way to say yes to things. Say yes to invitations to a new country. Say yes to meeting new friends. Say yes to learning a new language, picking up a new sport. Yes is how you get your first job, and your next job. Yes is how you find your spouse, and even your kids. Even if it’s a bit edgy, a bit out of your comfort zone, saying yes means you will do something new, meet someone new and make a difference in your life, and likely in others’ lives as well. … Yes is a tiny word that can do big things. Say it often.”
Now, just take a moment to think about that. What would happen if you started saying yes to the opportunities that come your way? What impact would that have on your life?
One of the biggest yes moments I’ve had in recent times, was saying yes to working with my coach. I’d never done anything like that before. I’d never invested that kind of money and I’d never committed myself to the kind of accountability that comes from having a coach before.
It was a big step financially and emotionally. Was it out of my comfort zone? Yes. Am I glad I did it? Absolutely!
When I said yes to working with her, I didn’t know how I was going to find the money for it and I didn’t know how things were going to work out, but something inside me told me to just say yes and go for it. Signing with her was a leap of faith – it was scary and exciting, but ultimately it was the best decision I’ve made in my business so far.
Like Eric says in the quote above, saying yes to things that are out of your comfort zone means that you will do something new, meet someone new, make a difference in your life and others’ lives as well.
Because if you don’t start saying yes to things, nothing new will happen in your life. How can anything change, if you don’t say yes to letting new people in, trying something new, going somewhere new, doing something different?
I truly believe that the universe has a way of presenting us with the right opportunities at the right time, but it’s up to us to say yes to these opportunities.
As the old saying goes, you’re more likely to regret the things you don’t do, rather than the things you do.
The fact is, saying no to things will keep you playing small. It will keep you staying in and not meeting people. It will keep you exactly where you are in your business. It will stop you having new experiences.
Of course, we don’t all need to be like Danny and say yes to every single thing, but when a good opportunity comes along, and you know in your heart it’s something you should say yes to, don’t let fear hold you back. Say yes – you never know where it might take you.
So tell me lovely, what are going to say yes to today? Leave your comments below!