I have been experimenting for the last year. I decided to stop saying ‘no’ to people when they ask me to do something. The results have been interesting.
In my 'no' phase of life, I spent a lot of time at home and sat around biding my time. I gained weight, wished I had more friends and got tied up in my own head waaay too much.
In my 'post no' phase I have been introduced to acting in a local theater group, been offered a weekend job watching some new friends’ dogs in their million dollar house and agreed to ride in the MS 150, a bicycle ride between Houston and Austin, Texas. I’ve even started this blog.
That time sitting in front of the tube passing the days away has been filled with new friends and interests. In a conversation with a dock buddy I described how busy I was these days and he commented that he’d rather not be beholden to someone else or overscheduled. From there I went to the theater for rehearsal and he headed home to watch the game on TV.
I’ve always told myself that I was open to new ideas and things to experience. But reflecting back on that it was mostly talk.
I guess the gist of it is that while I’m more tired and a bit stressed about making the schedule work sometimes, I’m more engaged and enjoy myself more.
I’m even considering changing jobs. Now I’m convinced that really soon now the bottom will fall out of the economy and moving to a new job may not be the best idea. But I’m also convinced that life is just too short to hang back and be cautious. I’ve read about folks that have done just fine when they’ve taken a chance and failed. They learn and they move on. I’ve done it a time or two myself. Playing it too safe is causing me to get cranky and life’s just too short.
