Say “Yes” to Give and Receive More

I like the word “yes” and I’m looking for opportunities to use it more. I can still hear the wonderful Dr. Leo Buscalia, expert on love, extolling the word “yes,” because it opened up new possibilities and uplifted the soul. I'm using it more when giving feedback to my college students and I say “yes” to as many invitations and opportunities as I can. How about you?

I find many people reluctant to say “yes” to what’s presented to them, particularly invitations to gatherings, parties, mixers, and similar events. I remember giving a Come As You Will Be Party years ago, inspired by piece in Jack Canfield’s The Success Principles. The idea is to hold a celebration where all the guests come dressed as they would be five years in the future, after having achieved their most heart-felt dream. I only invited people that I knew were goal-oriented and had specific plans for their lives. I was amazed how many of them were intrigued by the idea, but held back responding to the invitation and in the end did not come.

Although this was a special event, many people often pass up more routine opportunities and do not even acknowledge the request to RSVP. Certainly I understand that we’re all very busy and have to make choices, but previous commitments explain only part of this behavior. In talking to people, I find they often don’t think the event will interest them or they think they won’t enjoy themselves. Many times they don’t believe their absence will matter.

If this describes you, I invite you to reconsider this line of thinking, especially if you’re trying to receive more in your life. First of all, your presence does matter; you would not have been invited otherwise. Many times when I go to an event as a courtesy to the host I find that it is I who was blessed in the end. Perhaps someone was there I was grateful to see or meet. It might be that I was able to offer some information or a contact to a guest that no one else there could have. Or it might simply have been an exceptionally fun and relaxing time that I would have missed out on. These opportunities are typically perfect examples of how giving and receiving are so connected that we cannot tell them apart. Say “yes” to the next invitation you receive and see what happens!