Of all the words we use in the English language, I always felt “Yes,” and “No,” are the most powerful words that we use every day of our lives. They have the power to create or end war and peace, a relationship, or a job. Even the word “Love,” a word we are always so hesitant to use in order not to scare off a newly found partner or ourselves if we are second guessing our emotions, is less powerful than “Yes,” and “No.” Love is so overused in our society nowadays it seems like even if you say it and truly mean it, the meaning is somewhat lost. Example: “Oh, man, bro. I frikin’ love you.” Or how about “Like, OMG, I LoVe your new dress.”
Yeah… You know what I’m talking about. If not, just turn on MTV for 5 minutes.
Muse-ik? What is muse-ik?
We may not realize it, but every time we say the word yes or no, we ultimately are making a final decision on something. Just for the record, “yes,” does not have the same connotation as “Sure,” or Okay,” because those words have a hint of doubt or an underlying hesitation to them. When you ask someone to marry you, you don’t really want to hear “sure.” That would just be disheartening and would bring about questions of sincerity in the answer. The person you ask gives a solid yes or no because the moment is high in emotions and warrants an immediate and definite answer. There are no maybes in this situation, just a yes or no answer. Even something simple like hanging out with someone usually requires a yes or no instead of a “sure,” “maybe,” or “I’m not sure.”
Even though we use these words every day, we may not fully realize the impact these words have on our lives or those of whom you direct your answer. If you ask someone out on a date or get asked out and the answer is yes, both people feel happy, overjoyed even, to an agreement to share part of there life with one another if only for a few hours. It’s exciting and new that can lead to something serious, and it’s incredible that person took a chance on you. That person is taking a leap of faith with you which is magnificently scary, but can be well worth it in the end. The same can go for a job interview. If you go in for multiple interviews with many different potential employers, once you hear yes to getting a job with one of them and you say yes to joining the company, it’s one of the best days you will have in a long time. It means new beginnings and a chance to start a new career. It’s exciting and, just like a relationship, it’s terrifying that you are starting something from scratch but in the long run, this could be the best decision of your life. It’s also terrifying for the employer because you are hired to do a job he is confident you can do, but at the same time, he has never worked with you, saw you work, nor does he know your productivity level. The company can hemorrhage money on a mistake you make, but that is a risk he is willing to take on you and you alone.
Similarly, the word “no,” invokes an equally strong reaction. If you ask someone out on a date and that person says no, you feel inferior. That person simply does not want to hang out with you possibly because of something you did, because you’re not attractive enough, or any other reason you can grasp out of thin air, even if in reality, that person is simply busy. You begin to feel unimportant and irrelevant no matter what the true reasoning behind the no is. A no is still a painful no nonetheless. In short, it’s a massive downer. The same goes with a job interview. You can go for literally hundreds of interviews and get a no on every one, each time the no implying you are not good enough to work for the company making you think there is something wrong with you or that you are not good enough to do that particular job. In reality, you may be the best thing to happen to that company and can be the key that takes the entire operation to the next level. That no can even lead you to interview for their competition where you get the job and put the first company out of business. That will show them to say no to you.
So what can we learn from the words “yes,” and “no?” To me, saying no simply offers protection when there is doubt or it is a way to block any immediate change in the future. I have been hurt by the word no plenty of times and have missed many chances in life by saying no because I had my own barriers up after some heavy moments in my life such as my grandfather’s passing. I wanted nothing more than to be alone and I lost a lot of friends as a result of me becoming disconnected. When you say yes you let risk enter your life. It can interfere with some of your life plans or delay something you may want to do, but it can also lead to something incredible. Hell, saying yes to a job offer you normally wouldn't take can send you to another country which is petrifying, but exciting all at the same time. You can even say yes to a relationship that doesn’t work out, but then meet someone else as a result.
In my own life, I try to say yes to a lot of things, because I have no idea what my future may hold. No one does. Think back 10 years and ask yourself if you really thought you would be where you are today. Think back 5 and the same most likely applies. I may get fired tomorrow and be out on the west coast by next week. I could get a promotion and stick around here for the rest of my life. But one thing is for sure, the unknown in the future will never stop me from saying yes to anything, because a simple yes can be the future you were meant to have while a no can prevent you from finding true happiness.
I realize it may sound like I am singling someone out with my references to relationships, but in reality I am not and it is certainly not my intention. I’ve gotten my fair share of “no,” recently and it has become a huge bummer, but the situation is understandable. I would be remiss to say that it has not been one of my inspirations to writing this article, but this is more for generalities’ sake and I ran with this thought yesterday morning on my way to work. Like I said, I have been saying yes to alot lately while at the same time I hear a lot of no whether it be from a girl, work, or just hanging out with friends. Yes and no has played a big part in my life since last year and lead to having my heart broken, breaking someone else's heart, getting promoted, turning down a job offer, starting my writing career, and being told I cannot write certain things at work. That is one of the reasons I started a blog, to get out what I want to write. In any case, this is my 2 cents on the subject and I’d love to hear your view.
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