Say Yes

July 3rd, 2010

Derek Sivers captures the human side of business and just about everything else on his life-lessony blog.

His latest, My Loss, reminds us that even successful entrepreneurs have gone through the wringer more than once, and have made their share of mistakes.

I especially like the “moral” of this latest post:

Say “no” where you used to say “yes”. Say “yes” where you used to say “no”. Do the thing that scares you the most, then get up and go.

This captures the essence of one of my own self-motivational mantras: “Say Yes.”

When someone asks me to speak at a conference, write an article, give a toast at a wedding, attend a conference, or just to have lunch, my gut reaction is to refuse.

Almost every public thing I do that pulls me away from my computer and out of my house, comes from saying yes when I want to say no. I psyche myself up, remember that this life isn’t going to drive itself where I want it to go, and step up to the plate.

Say yes.

 

2 Responses to “Say Yes”

  1. Andy Lee Says:

    Nice post, and thanks for the link to Derek Sivers’s blog. You inspired a couple of introspective paragraphs on my blog: http://www.notesfromandy.com/2010/07/04/balancing-yes-activities/. It sounds like you may be thinking more about the importance of these activities for the health of your business, but I see food for thought about personal happiness as well.

  2. Torley Says:

    Have you seen Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel in the movie Yes Man? It especially illustrates this point well (and humorously).

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