Say YES to Everything
Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:12:09
This blog post is inspired by a chat show interview I saw at the weekend of the UK writer and broadcaster Danny Wallace, who in 2005 wrote a book about his experience of saying yes to everything - that's now being made into a film (Yes Man).
The premise of saying yes to everything has been explored on various blogs, with people repeating the social experiment with their own lives (the secret, it seems, is not to tell everyone it's a yes day!).
Well personally, the positive energy of saying yes sounds attractive. We all know people who are thinking about how to say 'no' before they have even heard the question, but I am sure we all would like to loosen our tie and say yes more.
But, I also thought it struck a parallel with the (famous/infamous?) book The Dice Man, of someone abdicating their decision making and the consequences for either could be equally comedic or tragically dark.
Saying 'yes' and doing it someone else's way is seen as unselfish and often social easier - but in certain circumstances saying 'yes' is the selfish thing to do, that saying a well considered 'no' could be the best result for all. Or at the very least sometimes the high of a 'yes' just delays the later low of an immoveable 'NO'.
So, I like to to think that you can approach a situation hoping and trying to say yes, to be positive, to try and say yes more - but if it's really no, you really have to say. It won't won't make a great book and I don't think Jim Carey will star in that film!
And the point of this on a WCM blog?
Think about the vendor that's only saying 'yes' - is the result going to equally comedic or tragically dark for your project?
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