I gave myself a YES day and now I am making it a YES year

Some time back I wrote about the power of saying NO. You can read this post here . There is a definite place for NO just as there is a definite place for a YES. What is important is to be clear what you are saying YES to and what you are saying NO to.

Say YES to yourself

As mothers, we instinctively prioritize our families’ needs before our own. You know what, it is completely okay to also say yes to yourself every now and again.

End of last year I received a Takealot voucher from my workplace for a project I had worked on. I wasn’t expecting this voucher so it was a welcome addition to my Christmas shopping plans. My first thought was to put the voucher towards our family monthly grocery shopping. As I was doing my selection on the online platform, it occurred to me that if i used the voucher to purchase groceries, two months down the line I wouldn’t even remember. I then considered using the voucher to get Christmas presents for my family. The amount on the voucher was gone and I hadn’t picked up anything for myself and I wasn’t happy about it. Again I removed everything that was in my shopping cart and decided for once I was going to get something for me only. I clicked on the ladies section and chose a cute little dress for myself. I picked up Brene Brown’s Dare To Lead from the books category and a nice perfume that I had been wanting to get for a while. It felt so good to prioritize myself for once.

Say yes to that extra hour of sleep on Saturday, say yes to another slice of pizza if you feel like and say yes to time alone without the kids. Do not deny yourself the little luxuries in life and end up becoming resentful. When you are happy and fulfilled you can be a great mum to your children and wife to your spouse. You cannot pour from an empty cup. Make sure you yourself are refreshed as you daily refresh others.

Say YES to your children

Have you watched the movie Yes Day?I don’t have the guts to come out openly to my children and tell them we are having a yes day, but I have given them yes days without them knowing😄😄. On some Friday nights, I do say yes to just one more episode of The Inbestigators after bedtime. On some days I say yes to ice cream after supper ( and of course I deal with the consequences of the sugar rush). When they ask me to read them just one more story before they sleep, I say yes. Yesterday the twins asked me to give them piggy back rides. I said yes. They are turning 8 in July and I am sure that’s not a request I will continue to get but I will probably miss. They are growing so fast and moms of older children are always telling me to enjoy this phase as it will come to an end and I will miss it.

Say YES to opportunities

Say yes to the opportunities that are presented to you. Even if you feel you are not 100% ready. Publish that article, go ahead and accept that challenging assignment and then go ahead and ace it. You should not disqualify yourself before you even start.

Say YES to others

YES is a powerful word. I am where I am today because someone said yes to me, believed in me and gave me an opportunity. I remember sitting across the table from the woman who gave me the opportunity that later opened many doors for me. I had come for the interview the previous day and she couldn’t see me as there was an emergency meeting. I was asked to come back the following day. When I did she was available but the rest of the interview panel were not available. She asked me to tell me about myself. After answering only this question she offered me the job immediately and asked me to come back and start work the following day. That’s how I joined one of the leading food companies in the world and worked there for over ten years including a three year expatriate assignment in another country. She said YES and that simple word completely changed my career and my life. I have tried as much as I can to keep the yes going. Say yes to others even when you never got a yes yourself.

Make the rest of 2022 the year of YES, to the right things, the right opportunities and to the right people.