Three Reasons to Say YES More Often
/Recently, several best selling books have touted good reasons to say “yes”.
Shonda Rhimes, talented screenwriter of shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, is a busy introvert, who makes time for her three kids but not for much else socially or for publicity sake. At Thanksgiving, her sister mutters, “You never say yes to anything.” Shonda decides to give it a shot.
We say no out of fear.
We say no out of avoiding inconvenience.
If I don't poke my head out of my shell and show people who I am, all anyone will ever think I am is my shell. - Shonda Rhimes
Reading Shonda’s story can help us see more clearly why we say no. From that, we can decide if we should say yes.
Noelle Hancock uses the story of Eleanor Roosevelt’s life at the framework for her book. Eleanor was the wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, president of the United States during the Great Depression and World War II.
But the book is really about Noelle facing one fear a day for one whole year. That could be open mic at the comedy club, swimming with sharks, or climbing Mt Kilimanjaro.
If the day was ending, and she hadn’t yet done something that frightened her, Noelle would run down the hallway of her apartment building naked.
When I looked back, nothing was ever as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, it was usually better than I could have imagined. I learned that we should take each moment both more and less seriously because everything passes. The joyful moments are just as fleeting as the terrible ones. - Noelle Hancock
Noelle’s book feels like a gimmick, but it can be a wake-up call.
