The Power of Yes. How Saying one simple word can impact your life.

I would consider myself a cautious person. I'll stand back when someone else jumps head first into living their life. I would prefer to stand in the background while someone else does the talking. 

It felt safe.

But I was wrong. In truth I wanted to embrace spontaneous opportunities & meet new people with a tad less awkwardness & a bit more confidence. 

So I started saying Yes. 

It has only been a little over a week but I have some exciting news to share with you, saying "Yes" to life is powerful & truly life changing. 

I want to share with you 2 stand out moments from the past week alone! 

Opportunity #1: 

Since moving to Washington, I have been feeling a small void. I have always been blessed by having amazing friends around me to share life with. Since moving I still have those amazing friendships, but there is something to be said about meeting someone in person for coffee. Not just scheduling a "skype coffee date" or surviving via Snapchat, don't get me wrong I do all of those things, but I knew I needed to be intentional about finding new relationships. To be inspired by people, their stories & experiences. 

So I took a major leap out of my comfort zone and emailed two local artists that I met via Instagram. I said "Yes," to something I felt incredibly uncomfortable with and because of that I had the privilege of meeting two amazing people! We shared stories and laughed about life. 

Opportunity #2:

By nature I am very quiet, especially when meeting new people. This happens even in day to day interactions, like when I go get my groceries. Usually the cashier will ask how your day is going, I'm definitely a one word answer. However, I know plenty of people who love to go into details and be so kind as to even ask the cashier how their day is going. 

So when I had to go into the bank the other day to deal with some business related stuff I wasn't looking forward to my meeting. But as I as driving I reminded myself that I want to be someone who says "yes" to situations, even mundane ones. So I headed into my meeting with a little extra pep in my step. And surprising enough it lead to the best 30 minute meeting that you could ever have at a bank. The lady and I laughed about life, talked about art, I got to share business cards with her organically (not an awkward "hey here's a business card" situation) and she even spent a little time looking local art opportunities up for me since I'm new in town! How amazing is that. 

So what can I say to you... Say yes! 

I know that this sounds cheesy, but if you think about areas you wish were different, or see characteristics in others that you admire. Maybe, there is something you can do to start reshaping the way you look and go about life. 

Like I said, I am not the most social person when it comes to first encounters with new people. However, I highly admire people who it comes so naturally to. And the best news is I can make a few small changes in how I approach life that still keeps me true to myself, but I like to look at it as a "refining" process or less romantically... "maturing." :) 

So my advice, say "Yes" to life! You may be incredibly surprised by the amazing joys it will bring.