The Art Of Saying “Yes!”

“Say yes to new adventures!” That’s a motto I’ve embedded in my soul and I always try to remember when making big decisions in life (and little ones.) Last month, we talked about how to say “no” to things, people and circumstances that do not suit our souls. I spoke about how the word “no” doesn’t always have to have a negative connotation tied to it. Sometimes, saying that little two letter word can bring more positivity into your life then you’ve ever imagined! And sometimes, three letters are better than two.

Enter “YES!”

How many times have you missed out on something incredible in life due to fear? An amazing party, a trip to a new country, that new Bootybarre class at your gym. These are just examples of things that could spark interest in your brain but aren’t experienced due to fear of the unknown.

Ah, the unknown.

If only we could see a map of our lives and where our path is headed. We’d sit there with our perfectly organized planners and write down each and every event and experience that was scheduled for our journey and approach each of those with certainty, understanding and confidence. This may sound absolutely incredible to some of you (it even seems comforting to me) but guess what….life isn’t meant to be that predictable! In fact, it is meant to be so crazy, messy and unpredictable that even Socrates himself couldn’t understand the roller coaster that is life. He said “true wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” True that, Socrates, true that! (I can’t say his name without pronouncing it in my head as “So Crates.” Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, anyone?) : )

So, what does all this “life” talk have to do with saying “yes?” Well let me ask you this. When was the last time you felt accomplished from doing something that took you out of your comfort zone? Every morning, I journal about anything that is on my mind. Sometimes the entries are short and sometimes they go on for pages and pages. One aspect of my entries never changes, though. I always finish my entry with positive affirmations to myself and I always remind myself to “do something today that scares you.” Now…let me clarify! (I mentioned this to my mom a few weeks ago and she hated the idea, haha.) When I say “scare” I mostly mean “intimidate.” This does NOT mean you have to say “yes” to skydiving or bungee jumping off of the Empire State Building (but hey, if that’s your jam, then more power to you!” This could mean saying “yes” to something as simple as going to the gym. I say that because there have been several times in my life where the simple act of going to the gym has scared me. You’re probably thinking “ok, weirdo. Who is scared of going to the gym?” It would scare me because I was afraid of meat head guys saying inappropriate things to me (happens way too often.) I was scared of my fitness level not being up to par, scared of exercising again after recovering from a back injury and scared because I didn’t know how to properly use the machines. This is an example of an everyday situation that I say “yes” to even though it intimidates me. Though I may not be exactly where I want to be weight and fitness wise, I sure do feel better after leaving the gym. It impacts my life in a positive way and makes me feel accomplished after I leave.

Ok, enough gym talk. Ugh, I love/hate the gym, haha. So, what are some other examples of how we can say “yes” to enrich our lives? How about saying “yes” to having drinks with the new girl at work. As we get older, I definitely find it harder to make friends and sometimes we purposely keep new people in our lives at a distance because we’re afraid to let anyone new in. Who knows! That new girl could end up being one of your closest friends and bring quite a bit of joy to your life if you keep yourself open and let the universe work its magic.

Saying “yes” to new adventures is one of my favorites. Adventures come in all shapes and sizes. They can range from something as exotic as traveling to a foreign country that speaks a different language to taking a trip to the local pumpkin patch with your family and picking out the perfect Jack for fall. I have been blessed in the sense that I’ve traveled the world quite a bit with my wonderful husband but some of my favorite adventures to date are the ones where we just got in the car and drove. There aren’t many excuses that I see as valid reasoning for turning down an adventure! You only live once so you better make this life as adventurous and full as you possibly can!

One last thing I want you to consider when it comes to saying “yes” in your life is the idea of being a bit vulnerable. Don’t confuse the idea of vulnerability with being naive. Sometimes, we get so stuck in our ways and we get comfortable. We don’t want to try anything different, we don’t want to spend our time with anyone new and we don’t want to put ourselves in situations that could potentially lead us to failure. I have a secret to share with you. Failure equals growth! Who cares if you fall down?! Pick yourself up, put your high heels back on, fix your hair and continue kicking life’s butt! I can almost guarantee that you will fail as a result of saying “yes” to some things in your life. I fail all the time and I’ve learned to love it! (sometimes after an occasional cry and a sharp Cabernet.) How wonderful it is that we have the ability to try new things and make our own choices in this life. How lovely it is that we are free to make our own decisions about who we will love, who we will let in and who we will keep out. And how gorgeous it is that when we say “yes” to new opportunities, the universe has got our back, even if we think that it doesn’t.

Let’s spend our energy building relationships not walls. Let’s take the time to try something new and scary that might be out of our comfort zone but can impact our lives in a positive way. And most importantly, let’s say “yes” to living our most beautiful lives that we all so deeply deserve!

Keep being the rockstar that you are! Let me know in the comments below what you plan on saying “yes” to! I can’t wait to hear what exciting things you’ll be getting up to!

You are gorgeous! You deserve the world! You are able and you are fierce! (oops, I thought I was journalling there for a second.) : )

Love, Carrie xo

Photo credits: My husband…who couldn’t stop making me laugh by saying “grrrr, you’re a tiger!”