Open your mind. Open your heart. Say yes to your adventure.

The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a heart yes to your adventure.  – Joseph Campbell

Have you ever noticed that very often in life our tendency is to immediately think or to feel a no instead of yes?

Sometimes it happens in small ways like when someone asks you if you want to try something new and unfamiliar like, “Hey, want to try a bite of this chocolate covered cricket?” (Ok, that might be a bit extreme but you get the idea.)

But it can also happen in bigger ways like when we really don’t want to hear someone else’s opinion, even if we might be wrong, and so we block out a different way of looking at things with a silent but firm, “No.”

It turns out that our egos (you know, that little voice in your head that is always voicing its opinion) really don’t want to hear or try anything different because it thinks it’s right all the time. If you think about it, it’s a pretty small way to live.

What would happen if you opened yourself up more to saying yes?

Saying yes can be scary because it not only challenges your ego (which is a good thing) but it can make you feel pretty open and vulnerable (which is actually also a good thing because that’s how you grow and figure out who you really are.)

So why not start saying yes? Challenge yourself to say yes to small things like trying a new food or going to see a movie that normally wouldn’t appeal to you. Then, when that starts to feel comfortable, challenge yourself to say yes to bigger thing, like being open to a different way of looking at the world. Be open to someone else’s opinion. Try to see the other side of the situation. Say yes to a way other than your own.

Basically what I’m saying is try to see life from the opposite perspective and be open – say yes – to that viewpoint. It will not only help you to grow and become a more well-rounded person, it’s actually a small but powerful way of connecting more with others and that’s what life is all about.

Open your mind.

Open your heart.

Say yes to your adventure.