Yes

“Each decision can be drastically changed by the substitution of one singular word.”

(I’ve been quoting myself lately… lol.)

I keep saying yes.

I feel like I’ve said YES more times lately than I have in my entire life.

For so long, NO was my go to word. If there was any doubt in my mind about the decision, I opted for avoidance. If it required discomfort, my answer was an ecstatic “NOPE!”

So why do I say YES now?

It could be because I have come to a sudden realization:

IT MIGHT BE THE LAST TIME. IT MIGHT BE THE ONLY TIME.

I have talked about the fear of missing out (FOMO) a lot, and usually it is in a negative context. But I have returned to reconsider.

By fearing FOMO, how much am I missing?

How much am I not seeing?

How much am I not feeling?

How much am I not experiencing?

I often reflect on what the result would be if I always said NO.

I WOULDN’T HAVE EXPERIENCED MORE THAN HALF OF MY MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS.

Even when I have said YES in the past, it has been a rather reluctant YES.

The reason I feel comfortable saying YES more now is that I have finally established a clear vision for what I want in life.

(it isn’t completely clear, there are still kinks everywhere)

At this point in my life, I have become more confident in what I want. Lately, not nearly as much contemplation has gone into my decisions. I just ask myself:

“WILL THIS HELP ME ACHIEVE WHAT I WANT?”

If the answer is NO, then so is mine. But since I have reconsidered what I want in life, the answer has become YES more times than not.

I realized I am too rigid.

One of my main goals in life is to experience as much as I possibly can and live to tell about it, but I have assumed too much control.

CONTROL=COMFORT.

I had a conversation with my dad about control since we both have the same opinions about it. You crave control because you want to know what is going to happen. You crave control because you are afraid of what could happen if you aren’t in control.

It is a natural feeling. But if you are constantly in control of what is happening, you can never be surprised. You will never get to experience something you wouldn’t willingly choose to do.

That is the bad thing about control.

I want to be surprised, I want to be amazed, I want that new experience, therefore, I must give up control.

For many, you fear what has happened before when you don’t have control. I have a great friend who fears not driving when he is in a vehicle because he has been in a rollover accident before. Of course he fears the fact that it could happen again.

But if you always fear what could happen, you would never do anything.

I quit worrying about the coulds, started avoiding the shoulds, and stopped questioning the woulds.

I started asking the simple question “IS THIS WHAT I WANT?”

I want to see you before I go.

I want to see it all before I go.

I want to feel what I can’t feel again.

So I say YES.

Because it might be the last time I can.

***

Thank you for reading!

My goal is to inspire self-improvement in others through my personal stories and experiences.

This is The Exploration.