The journey of Life is ever changing, ever creating, and thriving in forward motion.
It all unfolds, step by divinely prepared step, in any direction you so choose, should you say, “yes”.
Often though, we struggle with our decisions and find ourselves sitting on fences with our choices. Recently, I moved through an agonizing decision process (to which I admittedly lost half a nights sleep), after receiving an invitation to participate in something I would have loved to say ‘yes’ to, but the choice was a big one, and while my head was saying, “HECK YEAH!”, my heart was whispering, “hold on a sec”.
I did the only logical thing a girl in my shoes would do — I reached out to several thousand of my closest Facebook friends for feedback.
I asked, “How do YOU come into solid choice?”, and the responses got my head thinking, and my heart listening — my online buddies left me clear on 3 things:
1. My Facebook friends are BRILLIANT.
2. Going quiet, and going within, is a magical tool for excavating clarity. Through prayer, mediation, creative movement or writing, and even through exercise – go there, tap into the spaces in between, and listen for your answers. They’ll just come to you.
3. It’s smart to ask yourself questions. Try, “would saying ‘yes’ contribute to my life mission?” — note your initial response. THEN, sleep on it.
My friends inspired me to look closer, dig deeper, and hush the story telling, keeping focused on the present, and the opportunity at hand. I compiled their eclectic advice, and pondered the feedback and various self discovery processes and quickly came into complete clarity, and perfect solution.
I came down from the fence without hesitation, with my confident decision as my trophy. I thanked my brilliant friends, and complied this list of 5 perfectly good reasons to go ahead and say, “yes”:
1. Your personal Jiminy Cricket say’s “yes”. Always let your intuition be your guide. When you think of saying “yes”, do you feel excited, find yourself with a smile on your face, or lose yourself in a worry-free daydream? That’s your subconscious speaking. That smile, those flutterbies in your heart, the magical daydream — all signs it might be time to say, “yes”.
2. It’s a Dream Come True. We should say yes to dreams coming true! Right? Well, YES, of course we should! So long as it serves and not hinders your current place, so long as it paves your next step, and so long as it contributes to your grandest vision. Yes, you can step into the life you were meant to live, just as soon as you’re ready, say ‘yes’ to your dreams, and make them a reality.
3. You’re doing it for the greater good of all, and everyone wins — including YOU! It always feels the best, and moves the smoothest when you’re following your heart. Whether it’s a service opportunity, a new project, a joint venture or simply a new friendship, say “yes” because your heart calls you to, and never because you feel sold, persuaded, pushed, cornered, obligated or otherwise extrinsically motivated. Follow your heart. (It knows the way!)
4. Your life will be enhanced, enhancing the the lives of those you touch — like Soul Food. During college, I taught pre-school at a private Christian academy. My class was given a song to practice for our Christmas Program. I had 3 weeks to have twelve 4-year-olds ready to sing a song we’d never heard before. The song was called, “Soul Food”. I was nervous. “Soul Food? Really? Why not “Silent Night”, or “Little Drummer Boy?”, I asked my director.
“I think you’ll like this one”, she said patiently, “just work on it for 1 week. If you decide then to switch to a simple song the children know, I’ll get you the music.”
It turned out (once I gave the lyrics a chance), that the song was about nourishing your spirit — with soul food. It was about saying yes to what lights up your soul, what brings you to life, and to what immerses you in JOY!
We never did switch our music out. The sprouts and I learned our song and came to talk about, understand, and love our song — then, we sang “Soul Food” enthusiastically for parents, children and faculty on December 14, 1996.
Say “yes” to that which nourishes your tender heart, and soothes your restless Spirit! You’ll thank yourself.
5. Honor thy truest of thy truths. Van Gogh said, “If you hear a voice inside you that says you cannot paint, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”
Hey, the truth is, you’re here for a reason, and you came prepared to do the job. Let go of the stories that hold you back, and surge on, right through the heart of self doubt, and past the “what if’s”. Yesterdays story belongs to yesterday. Tomorrows story hasn’t unfolded yet, so there’s nothing to worry about there…
All there is left is this moment. Right now, in this present moment, let go of any excuses as to why you can’t, shouldn’t or couldn’t. Instead, consider a resounding “YES!” to the infinite wonder that awaits you. You get one chance to live this life. Live your dreams, follow your heart, and by all means, make this life matter!
It’s up to you. All you have to do is say, “yes”.
*And in regards to my own decision, I ended up saying “yes” — to saying “no”. If the opportunity is meant to be mine, it will come again in perfect time. If not, then I know that it presented itself to me as a gift — to remind me of the possibilities.
Read more posts by Elle Febbo here. Elle is a blogger for JenningsWire.
