Say YES To Life

I believe that "no" is one of the most commonly used words in the English language. From the time we are little, we hear this word millions of times. Some people estimate that a child will hear the word "no" over 87,000 times before the age of 4. No matter how valid this statistic, we all can agree that it is every parents favorite word.

Of course, children are wonderful absorbers of their environment. They take in all that is around them. Is it any surprise that children say "no" with tremendous regularity. In short order, this becomes their favorite word.

Sadly, as we pass through life, we begin to accept this as our default notion. We react negatively to all opportunities or requests. Carrying forward the mindset instilled in our youth, we turn down all that is offered us. We say no to life.

It is for this reason that many live in a state of desperate existence. They will tell you they want so much more yet they repeatedly live each day the same as before. Whenever something is presented, they return to their favorite saying, "no".

If you are interested in transforming your life, it is time to start saying "yes" to life. This means that you move your life from a state of existing to one where you are truly living. You start to accept some of the things that life has to offer. Over time, your circle of experiences will expand.

Fear is the primary motivator for most people. To them, this is the driving force which creates the results in their lives. Unfortunately, since it is a negative power, it manifests a life that is disappointing. A life based upon fear is a lousy way to live.

Everyday we are confronted with decisions. The majority of them are yes or no answers. We have the choice to decide if we are going to do something or not. All to often, we opt for the negative. In doing so, we select what is comfortable. Therefore, we are dealing with what is known.

Saying YES to life means trying new things. Fundamentally, it deals with expanding your circle of experiences. Getting out of our comfort zone is one of the hardest things for people to do. Yet, it is also the most rewarding. There is nothing that is stopping you except for the fear telling you "no".

Overcome this. The next time you are given a choice, say "yes" to whatever is being offered. Instead of sitting home Friday night, take up the invite to go out with co-workers. Attend that latest movie even if you think it will be boring. Buy that stock even though you are uncertain where it will go (use a stop-loss). Read a book on a subject that you previously thought uninteresting. You never know what you will like until you try it.

People who are successful are the ones who say "yes" to things. People who reject everything never get ahead in life. Success is the result of taking some chances. To be successful in anything, we have to "put ourselves out there" and risk failure. It is that simple. However, success is achieved when we expose ourselves to this possibility.

Saying no is a guarantee of failure. It is impossible to win if you are not in the game. This is a fundamental premise of life. How can you expect to win the lottery if you do not buy a ticket? You cannot. The same is true for business, personal, or emotional success. Until you start a business, you will not be on the path to creating the next Microsoft. Marriage does not result until someone gets down on a knee and asks. Overcoming the fear of failure and rejection are steps in developing success. This is done by saying "yes".

Jim Carrey recently had a movie that I really enjoyed. It is called "Yes Man" and one that I recommend if you have a chance to see it. The basic idea is that he was under the spell of a guru where he believed that he had to say yes to everything that was offered. As you can imagine, this led him on some pretty interesting adventures. Ponder for a minute how different your daily life would be if you took this approach. I bet boredom would be something you rarely experienced.

Thoreau mentioned that most people "live a life of quiet desperation". I agree with him. Few really live. Instead they are trudging from one day to the next hoping things will change. Unfortunately, they fail to realize that the universe is presenting them with daily opportunities to change their path. Yet, they fall into their conditioning and say no to it all. Reverse this course by saying yes to some things today. It will radically alter your day.
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