say YES
So I watched the film Yes Man starring Jim Carrey the other day. While it was mostly a typical Jim Carrey comedy filled with sporadic crude humor and sexual innuendos, I do feel there was a powerful message behind it. The film depicts a man with a broken relationship in a dead-end job who although has supportive friends, turns down every invitation for social interaction, ignores phone calls and can’t be bothered to give anyone the time of day. However, after going to seminar preaching the power of saying Yes, he reluctantly becomes a “Yes man”. He starts answering Yes to every question thrown his way no matter how insane the request. Soon, his luck changes; he meets the girl of his dreams, gets a promotion and revives his friendships.
While these miraculous turn of events would obviously not happen in reality and agreeing to requests without thought is definitely not recommended, the concept of being open to new experiences and allowing new people into your life is certainly valuable. Many people (including myself) default to saying “no” just because it’s an convenient, comfortable and safe answer, but this is where opportunities and novel life experiences are missed.
So next time you’re offered an opportunity you’re not sure you want, invited to a social gathering you’re not particularity interested in, or asked to do something new, crazy, and out-there? Consider saying YES.
