I’d like to offer you a simple, yet very powerful practice that will greatly accelerate your personal growth and actualization of your true potential. This is a strategy employed by self-actualizers. It will most likely feel awkward at first, but will have powerful ramifications. The wisdom that is contained with this simple practice is quite profound.
Here it is: Just say Yes!
The practice: JUST SAY YES! I know this sounds too simple and perhaps, unrealistic. But read on. It has made a tremendous difference in my own life when I first discovered it. If you’re familiar with the movie, The Yes Man, with actor James Carrey, you’ll get a taste of the power of this teaching, though of course keeping in mind the movie was created for entertainment value.
Here’s what I suggest. From this point forward, notice what shows up in your life. With those circumstances that arise, that you have a chance to respond to, witness your initial reaction. Pay particular attention to those times that you would normally respond with a NO, either verbally or non-verbally. Just be objective in this and observe.
Now, instead of following your impulse to say NO, try saying YES instead. Treat it as an experiment. When the circumstance presents itself, whether it requires a response in either words or actions or even your thoughts, say YES. That is all there is to it. I know this is stirring up some questions or objections so let me explain.
Nothing happens in life by coincidence. Carl Jung called it synchronicity. You could say that God or the Divine or Spirit provides you exactly with what you need, when you need it, greatly accelerating personal growth. That said, and perhaps believed, do you say NO to what has come your way, to the gift that life has presented to you?
These synchronistic events peer behind the veil of the everyday, providing insights into the Divine flow itself and revealing guidance towards your destiny. What makes these moments so enchanting is that they allow you to slip out of your conditioned perceptions and reactions. They’re like momentary wake ups.
The Truth is: Life always takes you in the direction of your highest good. Daily synchronistic events are divinely inspired. If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice these unique occurrences and how they serve to open you up in some way, guiding you to your greater awakening and joy.
In these moments, you have the option to welcome them, saying YES to the new opening. Can’t say I like this necessarily, as sometimes these opportunities don’t always come as pleasant. Crises, upsets, unpleasantries often disguise some of the greatest breakthroughs. Either way, what shows up in your life, being divinely inspired, is for you to accept and flow with.
In this YES, you’re aligning with the powerful flow of Source, accepting whatever life presents. Being in the flow of life is what it’s all about, that is, if you want to feel truly alive. YES actually ignites a whole new outlook on life, precipitating deeper self-understanding.
However, you can choose to resist. Your conditioned self wants this anyway. That’s why I suggest simply noticing what is happening. In fact, try this: feel what occurs physically next time you say NO. Notice how your body reacts – does it tighten and constrict? What happens to your breath? Notice your energy level and symptoms of stress. Just observe.
Then, when you say YES, watch how your body responds. Do you feel an opening, a relaxation or more energy? Your body does not lie. It will tell you what is happening from your simple response. This is an interesting way to learn the power inherent in this process.
Early conditioning is quite pervasive. It operates mostly on an unconscious level. Enmeshed in repetitive patterns of thought and feeling, your perception of the world is filtered. It almost feels more like existing in a fog, though you may certainly believe that you are awake. It’s these habit patterns that remove you from the present moment, diverting your attention to pre-determined focal points.
Habituated from an early age, you quickly learn to become controlling, resisting all those events that seem to pull you away from where you believe you should be going. It’s really a mindless habit though of controlling circumstance – it’s called the ego.
So what to do? Break the habit patterns. YES helps you to do this, especially in times when you’re more likely to respond with NO. NO closes doors, often stemming from resistance, leading to continued struggle, fighting, stress and aloneness. The response of NO can also arise from fear, especially in situations when something new is coming your way.
I notice the changes in my kids when they ask me something. When I say NO, mostly out of habit, I started observing their reactions. They felt let down. Their bodies become constricted, smiles go away and they withdraw into doing something else. While these symptoms are sometimes quite subtle, if you’re paying attention, you just may notice these symptoms.
Yet, when I say YES, my kids light up. They connect with me again and it opens the door to new possibilities. Now, if you are a parent, you know you can’t just say YES always (or can you?). “Dad, can I lay down in the middle of the highway?” Oddly, though besides NO, you can say, “Yes, but you will most likely get run over and die. I don’t really want that to happen to you because I love you.”
In my experience with my kids, I find that they learn more from YES, than NO. My saying YES to them teaches them a very subtle, yet powerful lesson. The lesson is that the universe says YES to what you want and that there are unlimited possibilities in life. The power of YES truly lets the spirit soar.
Anyway, just begin practicing this with your kids, your own inner child and others in your life. Do it when you’re confronted with decisions. Watch what happens. Next time life presents you with a situation and you are faced with a decision, your job – say YES! That’s it – just say YES!
The just saying YES of course is the easy part. Then comes the follow through. The follow through requires some genuine creativity on your part. Now you have to figure out how to walk through the opening you just created. This is where it gets really interesting. Aligned with your own creative intelligence, you come up with creative solutions, inventions, and new ideas.
Saying YES to all that comes your way (no matter your interpretation of good or bad) puts you directly in the path of Divine Flow. YES allows you to stop fighting life, to stop holding back and wasting your precious time, so you can move into the juiciness of your life.
This simple practice is much more about just saying YES. What is important to recognize and align with, on a spiritual level, is the Divine Presence. Life itself is always saying YES to your desires and intentions. YES gets you back in alignment with the flow of this universal life force.
S0me interesting experiences occur when doing this practice. First, years of cultural conditioning start dissolving in a relatively short period of time. Old negative patterns, unconscious habits, begin giving way to the person you truly are and have always wanted to become. In my own experience, I found I started feeling younger as well. All manner of positive consequences appear in your life.
After all, the greatest spiritual practices are usually the simplest. The truth of who you really are reveals itself as you align with Source. YES easily creates this alignment. Ultimately, when you say YES to all that life offers to you, good or bad, you will awaken to the Self and the Oneness of all. This is when the real magic begins.
We live in a magical, loving universe that is always presenting us with exactly what we need to expand and grow. Nothing random occurs in life. What is true is that the Divine is presenting us with exactly what we need, when we need it. Why? It happens so we can be more fully alive and awake. Do we then really want to say NO to it? Do we want to say NO to anything?