Afriend of mine has a local food pantry where they give fresh produce away to families in the community . I received a call saying they had extra onions and potatoes that they had left over . I was planning on going to a local art festival in my neighborhood . I figured that it would be a great place to give away the extra produce away for free . I was very excited about this opportunity to give back to my community . My energy was high and I was ready to just give . The first person that walked by me I approached , " Hello , would you like some free onions and potatoes to take home ?” The person responded no and walked off . I then proceeded to ask the next person who also said no . Several hours later I started to become discouraged . Giving away free produce was very challenging . I felt like I was in an interrogation room with all the responses I was getting from people : “ Why are you giving this away ? What is the catch ? Why are you not asking for money ? What is wrong with the produce ?" I did share with everyone it was leftover produce from our food bank but many people still said no . There were a handful of people who said yes and were very delighted about the random act of kindness , however the majority of people just said no . The question is , why do we say no ?
Its easier to say no and be a prison to your comfort zone than to be free in the world of the unknown . We live in a society where people are used to being scammed , or deceived . Understanding that there are good people in the world who are willing to just help you is a thing of the past . I believe people are in the habit of saying no because it is safe . Saying yes requires you to let go . Saying yes is risky . Saying yes opens you up to new opportunities , and experiences . Saying yes requires you to have an optimistic mind set .
Optimism is defined as a mental attitude reflecting a belief or hope that the outcome of some specific endeavor , or outcomes in general , will be positive , favorable , and desirable ( Dictionary . com ). I am in no way
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saying you need to say yes to everything and everyone . There is a balance between saying yes to opportunities and saying yes to things that leave you depleted of your own resources . When you make the decision to say yes from an optimistic mindset , you open your self up to make a decision from a positive point of view rather than a preconceived negative thought . Saying yes and being optimistic can be beneficial to your life . Here are three reasons why :
1 . Saying yes develops your inner strength . It is the doorway to finding out how strong you really are . A friend of mine invited me to go rock climbing with her . I never climbed before and I have a fear of heights but I decided to go anyway . Once they strapped the harness on me , I looked up and started to climb . After getting half way up to the top I looked down . I realized how high off the ground I was and I started to panic . I yelled down below , “ I ’ m too high . I ’ m scared and I want to get down .” The staff member yelled back , “ No , you can do this — you are half way there .”
I was so upset she wouldn ’ t let me get down from pushing myself to climb to the top . I ended up climbing to the top and then the staff member lowered me down to the ground . After getting on the ground the staff member said she had never seen anyone climb like that for their first time . Apparently I climbed up 41 feet using just my arm strengths on the most difficult path . I had no idea .
Before that experience I have never been so high up before . I was never taught how to climb , nor did I have any climbing experience . I found out some pretty amazing things about myself . I found out just how strong I am physically and mentally . I had no idea that I was capable of being that brave . What inner strength and hidden skills are within you that you have yet to discover ?
2 . Saying yes opens you up to new opportunities . Research indicates that optimistic individuals have a higher success rate in business . Saying yes to
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rock climbing allowed me step out of my comfort zone . I found out about qualities I didn ’ t even know I had . It gave me the confidence to join a rock climbing team . Being on a rock climbing team can open up sponsorship and scholarships for school for youth . Saying yes opens you up to the things you may have never thought about . Imagine super man walking around never knowing he had super strength . Saying yes brings you to a new level of possibilities .
3 . Saying yes can add years to you life . Your unconscious mind doses not know the difference between fake and reality . It cannot differentiate between past and present . It only goes off of what you tell it . Opening yourself up to believe good things can happen eliminates worry and stress . Saying yes gives you the courage to believe in the good and therefore it can de-clutter your mind . In 2015 , researchers found that optimistic mindset protects against mental instability such as depression , anxiety and heart disease .
We say No because we ’ d rather live trapped in a comfort zone than to live free in the unknown .
We say No because being prideful is easier than being humble .
We say No because we don ’ t believe people sometimes just want to help .
We say No because it is easy and safe .
Do yourself a favor , the next opportunity comes , take a deep breath and be brave enough to say yes . Saying yes can turn your dreams into reality . Saying yes gives us a deeper look into who we really are . It will lead you on a road of self-discovery , opportunities and good health .
Alexia Written is a regular contributor to IBA Success Magazine .
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COURTESY OF ALEXIA WRITTEN |
26 IBA Success Magazine n VOL 4 , Issue 4 |