The Key to Yes
Written by: Carol Harrison; Carol’s Corner
I think the key to helping me define some goals is to work with my abilities and step into the yeses that fulfill current dreams. I need to say yes to the dreams that play in the corners of my mind so I can bring them out into the open and watch them come to life rather than let them remain hidden in the recesses of my mind.
Oh, how often I wish for an easy button in life that would allow me to jump from the dream to the possibility. Yet saying yes to the dreams and all the work it takes to make them a reality offers me an opportunity to learn from missteps along the way, gain confidence in the attempt, and sweetens the joy of success when it fills my life.
It is time for me to say yes to self-care. This is a huge step for me and its lack has been the reason for the yeses that landed me situations of overwork, stress and discouragement in the past. Those times taught me many lessons including how I need to learn to use that little two letter word no at times when saying yes does not fit with my dreams, goals and possibilities. Self-care facilitates having the energy, drive and passion for stepping out to fulfill those dreams just waiting to be brought into the light.
It is time for me to say yes to opportunities that align with what I love to do even when it offers a challenge. This week I said yes to a speaking engagement with only two days to prepare. I loved every minute of it and met some wonderful people along the way.
I said yes over the last two months and wrote over forty short pieces for a book which now requires much editing and polishing. Yet the yes to doing the first draft reveals possibilities to share it with readers rather than it hiding on my computer. It will take more saying yes as I incorporate ideas from my editor and seek to have it published.
Every week I just say yes to writing a post for the Consciously Woman website. Some weeks the thoughts jump onto the page with little effort while other weeks I wonder what to say about the subject at hand. Yet it has been wonderful to contribute as well as read the posts of others in this community.
Every week I have a program on Hope Stream Radio that I have written and recorded. The script also goes up on their blog. It has been a step out of my comfort zone to learn to record this at home and send it off. But I am so thankful I said yes to trying this new challenge.
Along with saying yes to writing and speaking, I realize it is time to say yes and accept a compliment without excusing away what someone else saw in me as nothing. This means saying yes to my abilities and gifts, then sharing them with others. Accepting the compliment becomes an affirmation I am on the right path. What I write or the stories I tell can help someone else.
Saying yes to looking after myself, telling the stories, using my abilities to encourage others, helping them find their voice and reach their fullest potential will open doors of possibilities. It might be the birthing of a book or two whose ideas are floating around waiting to be unleashed. It might mean more speaking engagements as I let people know that “Yes, I am available.” It might mean new clients to coach with speaking or writing. I don’t know what the future holds but I know there will be exciting new ventures to come by saying, “Yes I am willing to use the gifts I have.”
I am willing to step into those yeses that will bring the dreams of more writing and speaking to life. Saying yes becomes an adventure in itself for I know that challenges will surface and the negative internal monkey voice will want to chatter loudly and raise doubts. I know the only way to quiet that inner voice is to just say yes to what I love to do. The key to saying yes to all the right things for me is to keep smiling, telling stories and watching for new possibilities along the way.
