Yes. Such a small word. Three little letters. But what an important word it is. As a writer, yes is a word I rarely hear, so when I get an email with a 'yes, we will read your MS' or 'yes, we do like your story enough to publish it', it is like a shot of adrenaline. Suddenly all those no's that have piled up in the 'rejections' folder fade into insignificance. Those three letters have power, baby!
Yes is an important word for everyone to embrace. Often when things are new and challenging, our automatic instinct is to say no. But unless we open ourselves to new experiences, we can get stuck in a rut and become staid and inflexible. I try, wherever possible to say yes. Not to the extreme that Jim Carrey did in that film Yes Man, but whenever I feel like saying no, I question it before saying the word. Am I saying no out of fear of change, or terror of being pushed outside my comfort zone? If that is the case, I will often say yes just to force myself to get outside my box.
Do you find yourself saying yes or no more often? Do you want to change that?
I find saying No harder. Always getting roped into things I wish I hadn't.
ReplyDeletemood
Moody Writing
I'm pretty good at saying yes. I count myself lucky in the sense that I have no issues with using either yes or no, depending on the situation. :-)
ReplyDeleteI think my natural instincts are to say "Yes," to folks and in the past few years I've made an effort to hold it back and allow myself time to process what a "Yes," answer will require of me over time. At least that way I feel less drained when I do commit to things, since I'm making more reasoned decisions (and have learned to give of myself in a more rational, less exhaustive way). It would be great to have that "YES!" coming at me, rather than from me on a more regular basis, though! :-)
ReplyDeleteSome Dark Romantic
yes is a beautiful word.
ReplyDeleteAlso - all I could think about was that Jim Carrey movie- Yes Man - where he says yes to everything and all the craziness that happens after that.