Yes is a powerful word. It moves us forward. It opens doors. It invites people and opportunity in.
Yes is about the positive side of choice.
Yes is how successful people say no.

This last one may seem a bit backwards. I’m not suggesting that successful people say yes to things that a sensible person might say no to (though this is often the case). What I’m saying is that successful people aren’t focused on what they are not choosing they’re moving toward what they are.

There are dozens of nos that surround every yes. When you say yes to a meal on the menu of a restaurant you say no to every other item; but trust me the meal chosen through yes is much more appetizing.

If we focus on the “No” in our decisions we’re putting our energy into the stopping side of the equation. No is a hard way to move forward as it inherently contains no clear destination oriented data. Imagine trying to give someone directions where all you told them was what streets to not turn on and what landmarks to avoid. At its best this method would take 10x as long to get them anywhere.

By orienting ourselves toward Yes we orient ourselves toward what we ‘do want’. We are constantly considering our goals and our direction and actively moving toward it. We are choosing to step away from stuck and toward motion.

Next time you find yourself about to say no. Try to find what you want to say Yes to instead.