One No, A Dozen Yeses

On the power of choices and the options they afford

As I’m wont to mention ad nauseum lately, I quit my job a month ago. Ending that commitment was difficult, and I’m still dealing with the aftershocks of it. Less pay. More hustling. Lots of training to develop new skills. It’s like playing a video game for a few years, then erasing your saved data and restarting from the tutorial.

However, I want to focus on the positive today — all the opportunities I’ve been able to pursue because I eliminated that one (huge) aspect of my life. Over the past six weeks, I have caught myself at least a dozen times smiling like a fool because I was able to say “Yes” to something I would have normally had to decline.

For example, I was scheduling an appointment for my daughter. After checking her calendar, the receptionist said regretfully, “All we have are daytime openings. Could you bring her in at 2PM?”

My reflex was to frown and prepare an excuse…but I didn’t need one anymore. “Yes!” I responded, delighted that I could do something as simple as take my daughter to the doctor when she needed to, without preparing lesson plans or scheduling a sick day or worrying about whether my students would behave while I was out.

Since then, I’ve said “YES!” to at least a dozen new things, some simple, some epic. Here’s just a sampling:

• A new job (hence the trainings)
• My first “business trip” 🚙
• A colleague’s wedding 💒
• Lunch with a fellow author  📚
• Interviewing my Pastor to write a book
• Kittens!

• Ball game with bro ⚾️
• Philly weekend with my buddy 🌮 🍔 🍉 🐟
• Daily meditation 🧘‍♂️
• Not to mention countless hours with my wife and kids (golfing, Skyzone, Go n Bananas, Cherry Crest, the beach, dining out, movies nights…can’t get enough!)

Not only have I YES’d these moments, but I have several big MAYBE’s on the horizon:

• School author visits 🏫
• A TV appearance 📺
• Finishing TWO books in one year? 😱

I’m not saying the sure path to your dreams is to quit your job or say YES to a million things — I don’t even know if I’m closer to my dream yet or not.

But I do feel like pinching myself a lot lately, and I’m not complaining 😁