Thursday, January 17, 2013

yes, and...

I've been taking an improv class and one of the first things you learn in improv is to say "Yes, and...". What this means is that you agree to what your partner is saying, embrace their ideas, accept what is being presented to you, and then add your own thoughts to create something together.

I never thought about applying this rule to my life until I read this article from Tina Fey. It really resonated with me because there have been many, many times that I have also felt that...

"Maybe I'm not quite ready. Maybe it's a little early for this to happen to me."

...and instead of saying "Yes!", I say "No." What I'm realizing (slowly, but surely) is that by saying "No" all the time I'm not allowing for growth or change— or for great things to happen. Most importantly I'm not opening up to opportunities to create my happy.

I want to say "YES" more because:

"saying yes allows you to move forward."

Even if I don't know how, even if I have doubts and fears, I want to say yes. It reminds me of her 7 Notes on Life. (start watching at 15:55)


1 comment:

Erika said...

OMG, they did a Happy Endings episode about "yes, and..." Do you watch? So funny! What you wrote here is a really nice twist on the idea.