When I was in my early thirties and working a stressful job in a rehabilitation hospital, I came home from work every day feeling tired. I found myself habitually saying, “No”—to social invitations, to doing what I loved most, to just about everything but work. Even though work was important, in theory it was not my number one priority, but in practice I had made it so. I soon became tired of that, too, so I decided that for one month I would say, “Yes.”
I said, “Yes” to my own well-being, to social invitations, to things that I had longed to do but stopped because of fear, to new things I had wanted to try but hadn’t due to an attitude of perfectionism, and to connecting more deeply to the people I loved most. At the end of those 30 days, I felt happier and a greater sense of freedom than I had felt in a long time.
Pause for a moment and imagine something that you’ve considered to which have said, “No.” Imagine saying, “No” to it again in this moment. Now imagine saying, “Yes.” Which one opens your heart, feels more spacious, and draws you more deeply into a sense of aliveness and connectedness with your own well-being? Which one gives you a sense of freedom?
Just for today, just say, “Yes” to the unfolding of your own life as it is. Try saying, “Yes” to that which opens your heart and supports your well-being.
“yes is a world
& in this world of yes live
(skillfully curled)
all worlds”
–e.e. cummings