Afriend of mine has a local food pantry where they give fresh produce away to families in the community. I received a call saying they had extra onions and potatoes that they had left over. I was planning on going to a local art festival in my neighborhood. I figured that it would be a great place to give away the extra produce away for free. I was very excited about this opportunity to give back to my community. My energy was high and I was ready to just give. The first person that walked by me I approached, " Hello, would you like some free onions and potatoes to take home?” The person responded no and walked off. I then proceeded to ask the next person who also said no. Several hours later I started to become discouraged. Giving away free produce was very challenging. I felt like I was in an interrogation room with all the responses I was getting from people:“ Why are you giving this away? What is the catch? Why are you not asking for money? What is wrong with the produce?" I did share with everyone it was leftover produce from our food bank but many people still said no. There were a handful of people who said yes and were very delighted about the random act of kindness, however the majority of people just said no. The question is, why do we say no?
Its easier to say no and be a prison to your comfort zone than to be free in the world of the unknown. We live in a society where people are used to being scammed, or deceived. Understanding that there are good people in the world who are willing to just help you is a thing of the past. I believe people are in the habit of saying no because it is safe. Saying yes requires you to let go. Saying yes is risky. Saying yes opens you up to new opportunities, and experiences. Saying yes requires you to have an optimistic mind set.
Optimism is defined as a mental attitude reflecting a belief or hope that the outcome of some specific endeavor, or outcomes in general, will be positive, favorable, and desirable( Dictionary. com). I am in no way
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saying you need to say yes to everything and everyone. There is a balance between saying yes to opportunities and saying yes to things that leave you depleted of your own resources. When you make the decision to say yes from an optimistic mindset, you open your self up to make a decision from a positive point of view rather than a preconceived negative thought. Saying yes and being optimistic can be beneficial to your life. Here are three reasons why:
1. Saying yes develops your inner strength. It is the doorway to finding out how strong you really are. A friend of mine invited me to go rock climbing with her. I never climbed before and I have a fear of heights but I decided to go anyway. Once they strapped the harness on me, I looked up and started to climb. After getting half way up to the top I looked down. I realized how high off the ground I was and I started to panic. I yelled down below,“ I’ m too high. I’ m scared and I want to get down.” The staff member yelled back,“ No, you can do this— you are half way there.”
I was so upset she wouldn’ t let me get down from pushing myself to climb to the top. I ended up climbing to the top and then the staff member lowered me down to the ground. After getting on the ground the staff member said she had never seen anyone climb like that for their first time. Apparently I climbed up 41 feet using just my arm strengths on the most difficult path. I had no idea.
Before that experience I have never been so high up before. I was never taught how to climb, nor did I have any climbing experience. I found out some pretty amazing things about myself. I found out just how strong I am physically and mentally. I had no idea that I was capable of being that brave. What inner strength and hidden skills are within you that you have yet to discover?
2. Saying yes opens you up to new opportunities. Research indicates that optimistic individuals have a higher success rate in business. Saying yes to
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rock climbing allowed me step out of my comfort zone. I found out about qualities I didn’ t even know I had. It gave me the confidence to join a rock climbing team. Being on a rock climbing team can open up sponsorship and scholarships for school for youth. Saying yes opens you up to the things you may have never thought about. Imagine super man walking around never knowing he had super strength. Saying yes brings you to a new level of possibilities.
3. Saying yes can add years to you life. Your unconscious mind doses not know the difference between fake and reality. It cannot differentiate between past and present. It only goes off of what you tell it. Opening yourself up to believe good things can happen eliminates worry and stress. Saying yes gives you the courage to believe in the good and therefore it can de-clutter your mind. In 2015, researchers found that optimistic mindset protects against mental instability such as depression, anxiety and heart disease.
We say No because we’ d rather live trapped in a comfort zone than to live free in the unknown.
We say No because being prideful is easier than being humble.
We say No because we don’ t believe people sometimes just want to help.
We say No because it is easy and safe.
Do yourself a favor, the next opportunity comes, take a deep breath and be brave enough to say yes. Saying yes can turn your dreams into reality. Saying yes gives us a deeper look into who we really are. It will lead you on a road of self-discovery, opportunities and good health.
Alexia Written is a regular contributor to IBA Success Magazine.
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COURTESY OF ALEXIA WRITTEN |
26 IBA Success Magazine n VOL 4, Issue 4 |