I am convinced that in order for one to truly receive the “Power
of Yes”,
they must first assert the “Confident No”.
Spending the final month of each year to reflect on the apparent
and disguised lessons has become a beautiful ritual to acknowledge and celebrate
my personal growth. It was in this still
and meditative place last December, that the idea for “29 Days of Yes” was
conceived. In spite of vowing to my
closest friends and family that I would not take on any new commitments until
I completed my doctorate, I said “Yes” to this occasion. Behind this Yes, was a confident No, to
barriers and fears. Not only did I say
Yes, I wanted to invite 28 other phenomenal women along for the journey. For the month of February, we would blog
about our insights on Shonda Rhimes’ new book, “Year of Yes: How to Dance It
Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person."
You may or may not be a fan of Shonda Rhimes’ TGIT (Thank
God It’s Thursday) lineup which includes the hit show Scandal. Either way, this mother of three, Ivy League
graduate, and critically acclaimed writer and producer shares a powerful and
compelling story of how saying “Yes” for a year transformed her life. In the book, Shonda shares intimate,
captivating and witty stories about releasing unreasonable expectations of
motherhood, toxic relationships and embracing her own true self. Despite her endless stories of Yes, I wasn’t
sure what I was going to blog about. Then this weekend happened.. and I experienced the
Power of Yes in three purposeful, irrefutable and divine ways.
Friday,
the Firm Yes! Most of
us can say Yes, to a grateful thank you or even the remote possibility of a blessing
in response to our good deed. However, many of us
find it difficult to say Yes to a constant No.
Here it was just a few hours since I had received my hasty no to a seemingly
sensible request. Now this person was standing in front of me in need, and before I could contemplate any pretense for saying No,
God put it on my heart to say Yes. I
would love to say that the lesson ended there, but the next day I felt disgruntle
with the lack of gratitude for my kindness.
Then I clearly heard God say, “Remember who you are saying Yes to, and
that no good deed is in vain.”
Saturday,
the Fearless Yes! When my
cousin asked to hang out Saturday evening, I was prepared to quickly respond
that I could not possibly go out. See I had plans to stay at home and write my
blog entry for “29 Days of Yes”.
“That made sense right?” For the
life of me I could not convince myself that it made any sense at all. Before I knew it, I had dismissed all of my
thoughts of No and accepted the possibilities of Yes. We had a great night, sharing laughs,
listening to great music and lounge hoppin! It never ceases to amaze me of how
much fun is on the other side of fear, I mean Yes!
Sunday,
the Faithful Yes! Bedside
Baptist was not an option! I would
worship the Lord and head home to rest… As I pulled into the parking lot, I
received a text from a dear friend to save them a seat at church. I replied to make sure they knew that I
wasn’t at the location that was close to their house, but the one that was many
miles away! Then I had an aha moment, “this
friend wanted some girlfriend time!” During
service, my thoughts of saying no to an anticipated brunch invitation were
overshadowed by a recent memory of when this very friend had met me for a “much
needed” lunch at the drop a dime. At the
conclusion of service, without delay, I invited her to brunch and she said
“Yes”. What a great time we had, new
brunch spot and great shopping!
I am convinced that in order for us to truly receive the
“power of yes”, we must first assert the “confident no”. This is a no to self-centeredness, limiting
choices and rigid plans! Trust yourself,
honor your truth and hold firmly to the Power of Yes. Check back each day of February for a new inspirational story about "Saying Yes". If you would like to share your own personal experience sign up to blog here http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090e4eaaa92baa8-29days, there are a few slots left.
