Saying YES is on my mind this summer. Actually, saying YES, and the power of words, are both on my mind this summer.

It has occurred to me that saying YES is a powerful and effective way to break out of ruts, and breaking out of ruts is one of the most enjoyable things we can do! It is! Say YES now!

I know that sometimes saying YES is scary. However, not saying YES keeps us stuck in the habit of saying NO, which means that life, for many of us, becomes a small shell of what it is intended to be.

YES, there are times to say NO.

In fact, I often have clients practice saying NO. “Say NO out loud, again, again, again, louder please,” until saying NO becomes a good conscious habit. We must get used to saying NO to things, people, and ideas that drain us; that make us dial back our expressions, that take us down destructive, or at the very least, boring paths.

However, I suspect that we wouldn’t have to practice saying NO, if we were more practiced at saying YES to things, people, and ideas that encourage us, move us forward, take us out of the familiar, and at very least, are not boring.

Perhaps then, we would be so immersed in doing something creative and expressive, something lovely and good, that the things that require a NO wouldn’t be so attracted to us in the first place.

Perhaps saying YES would be like a repellant that wards off those unlovely blood suckers, for that is what they are, life-blood suckers.

Of course, there are times we will say YES, and then notice that perhaps we don’t really like what we have said YES to. Having given it enough time, and true commitment – and this can be an action commitment or a thought commitment – we realize it is not our path.

Then of course, we can, and should, say NO to it. However, you may notice that once you say YES to something, even if that exact something is not your thing, it will have moved you to another path, opened another door, given you another idea to say YES to, and then my theory holds.

You don’t have to say NO. Just say YES to what moves you forward like a moving sidewalk, and the NO is a given. With a smile and a wave, you have traveled onward, leading the way for others to follow.

It’s not big YES that is important either. Little ones often mean so much more. “YES, I will try out that exercise, writing, designing, knitting, dancing, or computer class. YES, I will make that phone call, help that person, and follow up on that idea.” What looks like people saying a big YES, is only a bunch of small YESES that have added up to something that looks grand.

Life is grand. It is full of opportunity that knocks all the time. Some opportunities fly by though, and may not come back in the same form the next time. However, watching for them we can always say YES when we see them, even if we missed them the first, second, or third time.

Why not join some of us who are calling this the Summer Of The YES. We are noticing what phrases and words keep us saying NO, without intending to. That’s the worst kind of NO, the kind that pulls us into its whirlpool without our noticing what has happened.

Sometimes our YESES don’t work. Who cares? Track your YESES and see where they are taking you. Look back on your life and track past YESES. Did anything significant happen before you said YES? I can bet that the answer is NO.

I ran across the words of one of my favorite songs the other day. Figured it is because I am practicing YES this summer and asking my NO self to take a chill pill and hang out while I do something more than just get by.

Here it is, why not sing along with me:

“Beyond the blue horizon
Waits a beautiful day

Goodbye to things that bore me
Joy is waiting for me

I see a new horizon
my life has only begun

Beyond the blue horizon
is the rising sun.”

Any hey – if you want some support with saying YES, and discovering words that have kept you in a rut, and on top of that have a great time and hang out with a bunch of people who will inspire, support, and encourage you – then join us this month of July, in our yearly Sharing The Circle session.

If you say YES to this one, I am betting that many doors will open you didn’t even know existed! Plus, we will be practicing together a very effective way to make saying YES so easy it will feel effortless. Click Here To Join Us Now – We Begin July 9th!

No matter what – join us in spirit in this summer of YES, and track what happens. It’s gonna be good in the end, and if it isn’t good, it isn’t the end yet!

Let us know what happens – we are all in it together!

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