I recently returned from an annual weekend trip up to a good friend”s cabin in the lower Sierra Nevada foothills.
The trip usually consists of as many of our friends as can make it. I”ll admit the trip is to party like we”re still 21 and to have as much fun as possible.
Because of that, we all tend to gang up when anyone doesn”t feel like doing something as part of the group, such as an excursion into town or a drinking game.
It has led me to adopt a policy of saying ”yes” to just about anything we do.
This may sound like a negative thing, being pressured into doing something. But truthfully, it nearly always leads to more fun and some awesome and hilarious memories. Saying ”yes” to things can be a scary venture sometimes. There is a certain amount of unknown behind each experience or opportunity.
Anyone who”s seen the Jim Carrey movie “Yes Man” knows that people will sometimes hide from the world. In the movie, Carrey plays a man who withdraws from life following a divorce, flaking on his friends and generally saying ”no” to things. At the urging of a former colleague, he attends a conference and learns to say ”yes” to everything, vastly improving his life.
While I adopted an optimistic view of life a long time ago, coming around to the idea of saying ”yes” more often did not come easy to me. But it has definitely enriched my life.
As a student journalist at the San Jose State Spartan Daily newspaper, I told myself that I would take as many assignments as I could. That led to many interesting experiences, including writing a story about the seismic safety of the university, another about a former graduate student who was shot and killed after he fired shots at The Pentagon and a video piece on the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.”
When I was hired by the Record-Bee, I told myself I would do the same thing. You know what? The same result occurred. I have had many notable and awesome experiences through this job and I owe it all to saying ”yes.”
Of course, I don”t say ”yes” to everything. There”s tons of stuff in this world I don”t intend to experience for various reasons, such as base jumping (I have a fear of heights) and some other extreme sports, playing video games (I fell out of playing years ago) or learning to fly a plane (I tend to get airsick), to name a few things.
But, as long as the activity is within reason, I try to get over any fears and just do it.
Lately, I”ve noticed more an increasing amount of pessimism and negativity in society, be it in people I know, politics or pop culture.
It seems the world doesn”t cater to positivity these days. It can be difficult to remain optimistic and open when outside forces attempt to intervene. Much like saying ”no,” pessimism and negativity are easy to adopt.
But you miss out on so much if you say ”no.” You may be left on the couch all alone, much like one of my friends when we ventured into town from the cabin. Do yourself a favor: don”t become trapped that way. Try to say ”yes” more. You may find it will change your life for the better.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14.
