When I discovered the "Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person" by Shonda Rhimes, I was like "HELL YEAH!" I was immediately drawn to this idea of saying yes to any and all opportunities that came by in order to live a more fulfilled life. I asked a friend, who I thought would be interested in the book, if she had read it to which she responded that she had but found it disappointing.
She told me "The premise sounds amazing on paper. But the book is mostly a super famous, lucky, and admittedly privileged person celebrating that she has decided to take advantage of (read: say "yes" to) all the opportunities that magically fall into her lap. While I think it's lovely and wish her well with it (I'm all for doing what scares you), it's difficult to find how we (the readers) can apply her YES-method to our lives since we are not showered with opportunities to give commencement speeches and have dinner with politicians just for being us. The rest of us have to SEEK AND CREATE our own opportunities to say YES or NO to because we are not famous."
Which I totally get, but had me thinking "How can I use this idea of the Year of Yes to create a positive shift in my own life?"
While I have purchased the book and started reading it, I am only less than half way through. The premise of the book as I've garnered so far is as Shonda Rhimes says she is "...going to say yes to anything and everything that scares me. For a whole year".
Now, here's the thing about me: I am a "YES!" man. I already pretty much already say yes to anything. In fact I have a hard time telling people "No, thank you". The problem is that I am often saying "YES" to things that I don't want to actually do. I will say yes then immediately think "I don't want to be doing this. Why did I agree to this?" I never actually say anything or tell the person that I no longer want to do it. In fact the only person who often hears me complain about this is my husband.
Occasionally, I'll even say "Yes" and then right before I'm supposed to meet up with the person or do the thing I said I would, I will come up with some excuse not to. Like "Oh something came up and I won't be able to make it for coffee today." or "I just got a flat tire on my way and won't be able to make it" or "I'm busy that day, but thank you for thinking of me and remember me for the next time". Lies, all lies. I apologize now to all of you that I have been on the receiving of these from me. It's not you, it is me.
So really, should I maybe make this the "Year of No?" But then I feel I would be missing out on some amazing opportunities.
Here's another thing about me that makes it hard to say "YES" to the people and events that would probably be a welcoming change in my life. I'm an introvert. I can not stand crowds. They make me nervous. People make nervous. I'd much rather spend the weekend on the couch with my husband binge watching shows on Netflix with a glass of wine. I'd much rather live vicariously through my many "friends" on Facebook (some who I have never even met in real life).
So I've decided to use this idea of a "Year of Yes" to create a more fulfilling life. To create a positive shift in my life. To welcome and accept all opportunities that the Universe throws at me. I'm going to as my friend said SEEK and CREATE my own opportunities to say "YES" to! But at the same time I am not going to say "YES" to the things I do not want to do. I'm going to use this year to say "HELL YES!" to the things that:
- Scare me
- Take me out of my comfort zone
- Feel out of character for me
- Feel goofy
- Challenge me
- Change me
AND...even as I decided to start my year of saying "YES" I had already said "NO". I was going to wait until the first of the year to start saying yes and to start this blog. But in the interest of saying "YES" I'm starting it today, and will wrap it up at the end of 2017. So welcome to "My Year of Yes". I hope you will join me on my journey and hopefully create your own "Year of Yes"
