We hear a lot about those pesky four-letter words, but there is one three-letter word I try to use as often as I can.
It's the first rule you learn on day one of improv class, and while I was abysmal at improv in Grade 10 drama, the Yes Rule is one I like to follow everyday. When someone says, "no" in an improv bit, the act falls flat and nobody has anywhere to go. When you say, "yes," opportunities blossom.
You will find yourself in places you never thought life would take you when you refuse to refuse.
Before coming to Estevan, I was working in a factory doing electrical work. Every day I was running wires through studs, connecting switches and outlets, putting ceiling fans together, running wires through ceilings, running those into interior wall switches, connecting them to lights, insulating walls and stapling aspenite, encasing RV units, and routering out windows and doors.
It isn't the worst job I've had, because apple picking is the worst job I've had. For those wondering, apple picker was a title I held after graduating college with an impeccable grade average and industry experience under my belt. It was a pretty bleak two weeks. Early mornings in October, with a 10-minute drive down the highway, bleary-eyed and consumed by misery at the thought of another day in the rain, climbing ladders, plucking apples from the stem, filling a basket and dumping them in the bin.
Travelling to a job you hate can make you do strange things. I recall spitting swear words into the steering wheel of my 1998 Dodge Neon during early morning drives to the orchard when it was raining.
The thing that made my day, and made me glad I said, "yes" to the apple picking job at the orchard, was lunch time. We would go into the boss's house and eat lunch. It was owned by an older couple and she would have homemade soup, made from scraps from the day before. She always offered us a bowl and every day it was the greatest soup I've ever had. Just for that soup, I'm glad I said yes to that job for two weeks.
Saying yes got me to Estevan, and it has become I place I'm happy to be able call one of my homes, even though it's so far from my family and many of my friends.
Though I really had no choice but to accept the job when the Mercury called, I could have graciously denied the opportunity. I could have stayed in Ontario, running wires, installing ceiling fans and working in orchards, nurseries or greenhouses, waiting for my chance to get back into Ontario's fledgling media world.
It's not just about work. Saying yes helps you meet people and get outside your comfort zone. The more you do it, the larger your comfort zone gets.
My friend Nick, is one of those friends that everyone has. He's the one who can chat away with a stranger forever. We've joked that when Nick was growing up, there were 48 hours in the day, because he had his hands in everything as a kid, he's an athlete, a musician and someone who likes Einstein.
I've learned to follow Nick wherever he goes. If we're hanging out at a cottage and there are some people a couple of doors down the lake, he'll suggest we just go over and hang out with them. I know to just follow him.
He has an innocent way of approaching people and simply saying, "Hey, I'm Nick. Mind if we hang out with you guys?"
Nobody ever says no, and they probably can't because he is that seamlessly charming, but by saying yes to following him two cottages over to meet some new people and have a drink, I am now on an adventure I wouldn't otherwise be on. All thanks to saying yes.
It's far too easy to say the opposite, and it's much less rewarding. Yes is a word of opportunity. We should all be saying it as much as we can. It opens doors.
I don't ever say, "no" to a friend regardless of how inconvenient their situation is. It just means I will help a lot of people move when I could be golfing.
I am not experienced or intelligent enough to be considered wise, but were I to dole out any shred of wisdom, I would suggest everyone exercise their adventurous side whenever they can.
By saying it, I've earned experience, friends and an appreciation for an unknown but surprising future. I have that one three-letter word to thank for it. Let me know what you owe the word "yes" by e-mailing [email protected]
