The Power of Yes

No one wrote a great novel, composed a memorable symphony, fell passionately in love, or engaged in a great adventure, by saying 'no.'

Some doors we don't want to enter. If we possess knowledge a priori that the door will lead nowhere, then great - say 'no.' Otherwise, why not say 'yes' and see where it leads?

If this is it, if this is the moment, if this is all you've been waiting for...say 'YES!' What else are we living for?

With whom do you want to interact: "Yes People" or "No People?" People who define themselves by embracing opportunity or people who embrace the mundane?

When we say 'no' we understand just what to expect. Our lives may continue down the well-worn path on which we trod. Saying 'yes' takes us down dark alleys. Saying 'yes' forces us to throw out our to-do lists. Saying 'yes' is Luke Skywalker agreeing to leave his home planet and learn the Force. Saying 'yes' erases the chalkboard and forces us to start with a blank slate. It's scary but it is robustly pregnant with possibilities.

If we are to engage in a new venture, we must be ready. We must be healthy, we must be well rested, and we must be full of energy and vigor. Saying 'yes' means being mentally, physically, and emotionally prepared for an adventure. We can't do that without taking care of ourselves.

Well, not exactly. The fears, those long-held, comforting fears with which we have spent our lives, the ones that we so wish we could escape from, will still be there. But the Power of Yes puts those fears on notice. It says that we know you're there, but we're going to act anyway. We're going to take the job, go on the date, book the flight, hit publish, and accept the invitation, and there's nothing you, old fear, can do anything about it.

That future you, that person to whom you aspire, that person who holds back nothing, completes all they set out to complete, who wins with humility and fails with grace, is asking you...is *begging* you...to say 'yes.' They want you to push away fear and challenge yourself. They want you to try something new and do the thing you've always wanted to lest your fears prevent it. Because this future you knows that they won't become the person they are then without you saying 'yes' now.

Yes means being open to new ideas. No means sticking with the current ideas. Yes means growth. No means stagnation. Yes means empowerment. No means rejection.

When we say 'yes' we are open to anything and we know we can handle whatever comes. We may feel fear but we also possess the strength to face our fears. We don't hide. We don't stick to rituals and routines. We don't accept stagnation with the false belief that we cannot grow or learn. We open ourselves to the world and let in whatever comes. Yes allows us to transcend our current experience and engage the world in a way that No will never understand.