Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Say Yes.

No, not to the dress.

Say "Yes." Say "Hell yes." If you say "No", ask yourself: "Is my reason for saying no good enough?" And then when you answer "No"... say

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Jack from "Lost" is a doer even when he doesn't wanna. 

I have always thought of myself as a Yes-person but when I look back over the past couple years, I realize how much I said No. There were multiple reasons for this but the main ones were that I suddenly thought I was "too old" or "too busy" to do a single thing worth living for. I am 23 and work part-time jobs. WHO AM I KIDDING? I am young and free!

So I decided to say a big FU to that mindset.

If there are people I want to see that live far away, I will go see them now because they are good people and it is worth it.

If there is a shirt I want that is a little more expensive than one I don't want... I will buy it because I can always earn more money.

If there is time to walk another mile, I will walk it because God gave me two healthy legs and what the hell else am I gonna do with my time?

And you know what this mentality has gotten for me?

1. A new job! -- I went into a fantastic breakfast cafe with Brian and the hostess apologized for the wait. I said, "No worries. I worked at Ida's* for a couple years so I understand." The lovely hostess said, "Really? Ida's? Are you working anywhere else right now?"

In that moment I could have said "Yes. I work at a library." Boom, end of story. But I had been thinking I needed another job. I also had been thinking Wow, I don't want to be a librarian. And I realized that I make good money waiting tables and I have fun with it!! What a novel idea! So great, I tried libraries and they aren't for me. Why should I continue pursuing that path just because it looks good on my resume since I have an English degree? I shouldn't. Because honestly, it makes me hate people and I really do want to like people.

You may be surprised that I hate people more from working in a library than I do from waiting tables. But actually, I find people are at ease when they are out for breakfast and people at ease are usually fairly easy to be around. But in a library! Oh jeez! In a library people need questions answered and problems solved! And frankly, some of the questions and problems they need help with make me feel like there is no hope in humanity. You mean you can't figure out how to log out of Facebook on your own? You press "print" to print. No, you can't just make up an email out of thin air and insert it into the sweepstakes expecting to be notified.**

Pinterest Library Memes

But regardless! I told the hostess "I'm not waiting tables anywhere else. Are you hiring?" I then ate some pancakes, emailed her the next day, got a job the next week. Yes.

2. A new roommate! -- My good friend Neil(ski) is a nomad of sorts. A real gentleman after my own heart. He gets to travel around for jobs and works different ones all the time. Well, his most recent venture brought him back to Lancaster. It is a fairly brief gig, about five weeks. Neil asked if Brian and I would be willing to put him up for some of that time while he does this job. There I was with my good friend in need of a helping hand. There I was with an extra bedroom mainly used for an elliptical and my "stuffed" Panda having a place to sleep.

"YES. Come stay with us!" What is the worst that could happen? I get annoyed? I get annoyed at everything, so really there is no problem. Now, we have a dear friend helping to make the coffee and buy the bananas. Yes.

3. Real, deep down EXCITEMENT. -- This new attitude is helping me reconnect with old friends that I've lost touch with. I am no longer wondering how they're doing! I ask myself everyday, is there someone in my past that is so damn awesome I want to bring them back into my life? And if there is, I TALK TO THEM. It's simple. And I've found, other people are waiting for this too. I have yet to talk to an old friend that didn't want to talk to me. I also make new friends! I've stopped feeling insecure about whether things will be awkward or unnatural. They are only so, if I make them so. TO be honest, I am still trying to be better with this but all good things take time. And all of this makes my life feel so much fuller and happier. And if there is a person that doesn't want to talk to me? That's okay too, because I wasn't the one that said "No."

Life is meant to be exciting and new and full of different experiences with genuine people. It is the sole reason God made us. And if you question that... why do you think people always arrive at the stop sign at the same time? People are supposed to interact! So don't just grumble on through it.

TO YOU: Go say yes to something. Whether it be finding a fun job, reconnecting with old friends, or just doing a handful of sit-ups. I promise you, you will feel better if you do. And if you want help... I'm already saying yes ;]

* The cafe I worked at during college that was the busiest place in the world. Hustlin' and bustlin' in the 21st century.
** There are some good things to working in a library. I am introduced to way more topics than I'd ever think to look into and helping people does feel good a lot of the time.

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