As the A to Z challenge draws to a close, I’m offering up a challenge of my own. Every one of you can take it, whether or not you have a blog.
This weekend’s challenge is: Say Yes to someone. Yes, without qualifications.
Many of us say “yes” all the time, but we do it with strings attached. “Yes, but,” “Yes, if,” “Yes, provided that…”
We seldom say “yes” and follow through without reservation. For some of us the qualifications become almost second nature, to the point that we barely hear them even though they’re a common attachment to our response. I’ll admit The Day Job We Do Not Mention (which I may end up mentioning before long – I’m on the fence as we speak) lends itself to qualified approvals. I spend my days in the boggy turf of What Might Be and Avoiding What Could Occur – which makes it harder to offer a “yes” without explaining the parameters. It makes it harder in other areas too. Such habits are difficult to break.
That’s why I’m challenge you – and me – to break them.
This isn’t an invitation to be foolish. I don’t advocate saying yes when it isn’t deserved, or leaving off the parameters if doing so sends you out of a plane without a ‘chute (literally or figuratively). That’s not the point. I’m urging you to really listen to what others ask of you, and not qualify responses that don’t need it.
Will you help me wash the dishes?
– Yes (Not “yes, if you help me move the sofa”)
That sort of thing. Spend the weekend looking for opportunities to say “yes” and yes alone. It may require a little re-thinking on your part, but the blessing it gives to others is worth the effort (and the time).
Feel free to come back on Monday – or even in between – and tell me how you did. I’ll leave an update here myself. In the meantime, let’s all add a little “yes” to someone’s day.