how to begin saying YES to the things you want
We're always being told we need to say no to those things that take time away from us BUT, we also have to remember to say YES.
Back in June I had a chance to attend the Focus on Bookarts Conference here in Oregon. For 5 consecutive days I left my house way too early in the morning to drive about an hour to class then drive back home each evening. Long days indeed.
In the days leading up to the start of the conference, realizing the long hours I would be keeping, I kept thinking....why in the world did I say yes to taking all these darn classes? What the heck was I thinking committing to five full 11-hour days in a row???
Why indeed? Because back in January I chose to give myself this gift.
I chose to say YES to me.
Choosing YES to me meant saying no to taking work related classes, ones that would definitely enhance what I do in business but would not be about enjoying life and making new friends and learning from instructors all just for the sake of having fun and being knee deep in creativity.
Last year I read the book The Year of Yes" by Shonda Rhimes and boy did it open my eyes up more to the "No!" conundrum we can find ourselves in when trying to make sound decisions for our lives. Aside from the insight I gained from the words she wrote, you know what happens when you begin to say YES to you?
A whole world of possibility opens up for you.
And, by saying your YES out loud, you allow the Universe to hear you, to hear your desires and begin working on your behalf.
My biggest YES to me moment happened about 3-ish yrs ago after a very upsetting argument with the hubs, one in a long line of many arguments back then.
I needed to walk away for a breather and, as I sat on the deck looking at our beautiful back garden that he mostly created, mulling over where to go from here,
I knew what I had to do, what I must do.
In those few moments of introspection, reflection and Soul searching I had decided to say YES to me. But, I also knew that it was gonna rock everything right up.
Hubby and I were at a difficult period in our marriage and, even after another year of marriage therapy behind us, deep, deep down inside I knew something had to give.
I had had enough of a whole slew of things—where we lived, how we were living and, sadly, who I was living with—and I knew enough about myself and where I was in my own path to being my best and highest self, that if I didn’t say YES to a complete change of purpose, of intention & of city 😳, I would completely lose myself in between the cracks.
Hubs came to find me about 20 minutes later and, without beating around the bush, I told him what I was planning to do. I had decided I was moving to Portland, Oregon. Not we….I was moving.
As women, as mothers and even as spouses and partners, our needs and desires are more and more times found lower down on the priority scale but, despite this priority down scaling we so regularly take part in, our needs and desires don't just disappear.
Sometimes we willingly (or unwillingly) bury them under a whole lot of of what I like to call "a sh*t ton for others".
After about 5 full minutes digesting what I had said......hubby actually agreed with me.
He knew as well as I did that we weren’t doing good and, for the good of us as a couple and for the best intentions of our family, something needed to… no dang it, something HAD to change. We ended up talking all night and, come morning, once the decision to move was set in stone, it was full steam ahead.
That one YES was me was me giving myself permission.
It was me allowing my own needs to take precedence. And, I gotta tell you, it completely changed the trajectory of our family but especially our marriage in a very good way. More importantly, we are all definitely stronger for it.
So I want you to ask yourself.....NOPE, I want you to ask your Soul what she needs you to say Yes to. And to that end, what do you need to let go in order to have your Yes.
Cause remember…your YES matters.
Now if you find that saying yes is way harder than you expected and you need help navigating your way….schedule a Shift Session with me. It’s just as it says, 90 minutes to talk about how to help you shift things in your life/business.
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psst…..listen here where I talk more about how to say YES in this minisode of Soul Speak with Grace.