The Power of Saying Yes

Eleven years ago, I was barely holding my life together. I had just gotten divorced and had recently started a new job as a marketing coordinator.  I was working full time, had 5 kids, ran an eBay and Amazon business on the side, and was serving in my church and community.  

And yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more I was supposed to do with my life.  This seemed ridiculous at the time because I was already doing so much.  

But no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, the feeling wouldn't go away.  I fasted. I prayed. And finally, one Sunday afternoon at church, my former church bishop suggested I go back to school and get my MBA.  

I laughed out loud at his suggestion.  I told him I was working full time and couldn't possibly go back to school.  He then suggested I get my Executive MBA because it was a part-time program on the weekends.  Me? An executive?  I thanked him for thinking of me but shrugged it off.  He told me to think about it. 

All that Sunday, I couldn't stop thinking about it.  That night, when I knelt down to pray, hot stinging tears began to roll down my cheeks, and I knew I had my answer.  

I didn't want to do this.  I felt it was impossible.  

But somehow, through tears and fear, I said "yes."

I applied. Miraculously, I got in. I began the program a year later, and it changed my life in ways I'm still discovering.  I built confidence that only comes from doing hard things. I learned, over and over again, how to say yes.

There is power in saying Yes. But sometimes, the reasons for holding back feel very real. And often, we are the only ones telling ourselves we can't do it.  

If you're thinking about doing something hard or something you've never done before, find one person who believes in you more than you believe in yourself.  That may be a friend, your husband, your parents, a former boss, or even your kids. Borrow their confidence until you have your own.

You don't need to have it all figured out. You don't need to feel ready. You just need one person standing in the gap between who you are today and who you're becoming--cheering you forward until you can cheer for yourself.