How to Know When to Say Yes

Image credit: teemow

A lot of my peers have been talking lately about the importance of saying no to stay sane and keep a healthy balanced life. When you get to a point in your life or career when your schedule can’t accommodate any more appointments, saying no becomes paramount, and yet so many of us are afraid to let others down, especially when those others are our close family and friends.

I believe in the importance of understanding when to say no, but that’s not actually the position I find myself in today; while knowing when to say no will always serve you, knowing when to say yes is equally important.

Sometimes, the fear of saying yes is even more paralyzing then the easy way out of making excuses and declining invitations to grow. Saying yes to opportunities that you don’t feel prepared for or that will force you out of your comfort zone can become an important practice in your own quest for wellness and fulfillment.

Saying Yes Challenges Your Comfort Zone

For example, in my Pangea Organics business, I’ve been forced to open up my mind about how to build my customer base. When I moved to a brand new place I didn’t know ANYONE, which made it hard for me to go out and start hosting educational events and spa nights to teach others about organic skincare. That means for me to succeed I have to say yes to cold-calling. I have to become creative and start meeting people, when it’s much more comfy and cozy to sit behind my computer and continue writing blog posts for you (which, I love to do by the way).

Health & Wellness Means Taking Risks

The oft misunderstood part about wellness is that it’s supposed to make you feel uncomfortable! As you push through and explore those feelings of discomfort, you learn so much about yourself and you grow immensely as a person – physically, mentally and emotionally, depending on the situation you find yourself in. And when you’ve accomplished what you set out to do, you get to feel PROUD and EXHILARATED and ALIVE. That’s what wellness truly is. It’s a feeling of vitality that can only be accomplished by challenging yourself to push beyond your perceived limitations.o  get there, we have to give ourselves the permission to SAY YES.

How do you know when to say yes?

Here are some things to think about.

1. Does the opportunity in front of you give you a chance to learn something useful that will help you progress in your career or help you achieve your goals?
2. Does the opportunity in front of you scare you a little bit?
3. Do you start making excuses, eating emotionally, cleaning the house, or revert to a standby procrastination activity when you start thinking about the opportunity in front of you?
4. Is there a friend you could involve in the opportunity to make you feel a little better about it?
5. Do you have the support of your family and friends? Are other people encouraging you to take advantage of the opportunity?
6. Do you find yourself thinking you can’t because you have to take care of other people and that will prevent you from participating in the opportunity?
7. Are you over-thinking it? Does this opportunity really excite you but you’re letting practicality get in the way? Practicality will oftentimes keep you from growing at all.

Is there something you’ve been having trouble saying yes to lately? Let me know in the comments below!