My biggest fear in life is looking back when I'm old and grey and thinking, What if? I wish I would've said yes more. I wish I would've done more with my life. When I'm lying on my deathbed, I want memories of all the adventures I went on to flash through my mind, all the crazy things that I did, all the places that I visited and saw, all the people that I met and formed relationships with-a life that felt fulfilled. Today I am telling you not to wait until your life has almost entirely passed by to realize there were things you wish you did, start saying yes -- start living!
Now I'm not saying you should say yes to everything in your life. If someone asks you to rob a bank with them it might not be in your best interest to agree to that, but saying yes to more opportunities that are thrown your way could introduce you to new adventures and people you otherwise wouldn't have came across. If a spontaneous trip lands in your life and you have the money, make time and go on it! If someone invites you to a cocktail party even though you hate social events and dressing up, go to it, you could find that you enjoyed yourself! Even if the opportunities that you come across in your life seem edgy or out of your comfort zone, take the risk of seizing them, for it could open up doors of more opportunities for you and teach you to step out of your bubble.
While sometimes saying yes to opportunities in life might not always be as great as you expect -- maybe that spontaneous trip took you to a place with weather you didn't enjoy or that cocktail party bored you to tears -- it gives you a chance to learn. Saying yes to an opportunity can bring successes as well as failures, but saying no will bring you neither. Saying yes can help expand your horizon and open your mind which can benefit you in more ways than staying close minded will.
I know you may be thinking, I can't just say yes to everything, I have work/school/a busy life, but I promise you it's easier than you may think, and you can start by saying yes to little things! Would you rather look back on your life and remember spending all of your day in an office and then coming home to watch TV, or would you rather remember the feel of the wind on your face and the drop of your stomach when you went skydiving?
Dave Cornthwaite, adventurer and founder of the brand, "Say Yes More," has tips to help start you off: Take your two hands; on your left hand count five things you want to change or get rid of in your life, and on your right hand count five things you've always wanted to do in your life. The biggest thing is to commit to these goals that you set.
Don't be afraid of taking risks. Don't wait until your time on this earth is nearly up. Don't push away opportunities because they seem out of your comfort zone. When you're taking your last breath, and your life is flashing before your eyes, is it fulfilled?
