04/11/2005
Self Esteem is about saying yes and saying no
I've just finished an awesome book by English comedian Danny Wallace, called "Yes Man". I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to be inspired to rise up from a lackluster, mediocre lifestyle to one of excitement, fortune, love and delightful surprises.
Danny is on his way home one day in London when a stoppage on 'The Tube' forces him to be bussed to the next station, along with his fellow passengers. When a mysterious man on the bus sits next to him and tells him he 'should say yes more often', it hits him smack between the eyes ... and he decides to do exactly that.
Up until then, Danny's life had been somewhat bland and getting blander. He'd rather stay in and watch TV than go to the pub with mates - which for an Englishman is pretty sad!
To find out just what amazing things happened to Danny (in this hilarious true story) after he decided to start saying 'yes' more often, you'll have to buy the book!
But it got me thinking about how to start building self esteem just by taking advantage of more opportunities. By saying 'yes' more often to yourself.
- Yes, I deserve happiness.
- Yes, I deserve love.
- Yes, I deserve luck and good fortune.
And 'yes', why not take advantage of more opportunities.
Of course, there is also a darker side to this. It is well known that teenagers desperate for love will say 'yes' to sex when they really don't want to, just to feel wanted. And we don't want to encourage that. (In fact in the book Danny is put in the same dilemma!). So a note of care for those who know that low self esteem sometimes results in saying 'yes' for the wrong reasons. More on how to say 'no' in a later blog.
But think about what you can say 'yes' to more? Time with your loved ones? An invitation to a cup or teas? Or a lunch invitation?
Next time you hear yourself saying "No, I don't think I could ...", think of Danny Wallace "Yes Man", and decide whether saying yes may well take you somewhere you just haven't been before!
Say "YES" to life!
All the best,
Robert Scanlon
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