Are You Able to Say a Hearty “Yes” to Yourself?

The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty “yes” to your adventure. Joseph Campbell

Yes, exactly!

Why is this “THE” big question? Only because pondering it leads to immeasurable opportunities to turn your life into “your adventure.”

This question hit me like a brick the other day while on my yoga mat. At the time, I called it an epiphany, but “brick” is more how it felt.

I’ve been a bit stressed lately, dealing with some life changes and such. Nothing earth-shattering, but I’m not one for instability when the status quo is so much more comfy. I approach change with a bit of dread, seeing the glass as half-empty, afraid of what could go wrong. To my executive brain, it feels like preparation. To my psyche, it feels like sandpaper on an open wound.

There I was, sitting on my yoga mat about to start a class, when this thought hit me in the head: “Why can’t I expect good things to come from where I go next?”

Hmmm ……. let’s take this thought and run with it: “If yoga is about being where you are, right now, without judgment, why can’t I be okay with where I am, right now, off the yoga mat? What is stopping me from trusting that I belong exactly where I am and where I go next?”

This was an exciting thought! And it unleashed a bunch of other thoughts like a damn burst:

I am enough.
I am where I am supposed to be right now.
I am deserving of good results.
I am okay.

Wow!

If saying “yes” to yourself doesn’t come naturally, here are a few words of wisdom to help you get there:

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” (Theodore Roosevelt)

“I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.” (e. e. cummings)

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” (Helen Keller)

“At the side of the everlasting why, is a yes, and a yes, and a yes.” (E. M. Forster)

It takes trust and boatloads of optimism to “say a hearty “yes” to your adventure.” You’ll get there by believing in your right to step into the light. Practice saying “yes” and little success will lead to bigger opportunities.

If saying “yes” still feels unnatural to you, try it the other way around: “Why can’t I say “yes” to myself?” If you can’t come up with any solid, good reasons, then go for it!

Survival > Existence,

Debbie

Image courtesy of Jonathan Crow