Say What? Say Yes.

Sometimes, there are things in life you must say ‘yes’ to. And sometimes, those very things seem like the most far reaching, unobtainable, outside of your comfort zone – kinds of things. The natural course for our minds is to say no in these exact situations…and yet that is exactly when we should say yes.

Over the last year, I’ve been learning to let go of the expectation others have for me. I’ve been learning to let go of a life’s path designed solely by me. Instead, I placed my path, my purpose, in the hands of the divine. And I’ve been listening. Harder. Closer. More intently. In the quiet stillness of my soul, I started hearing and feeling. I was drawn in, compelled, unable to ignore what was put forth in front of me. Time and time again.

And I started saying yes.

I started saying yes to things like:

Becoming my son’s small group leader for confirmation.

Committing whole heartedly to building my strength from the inside, out, at my new found and favorite place to sweat.

Auditioning for the Listen to Your Mother show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Competing in my very first power lifting competition. Say. What? Yes.

And…

…saying yes to climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania this coming January.

SAY WHAT???

Say yes. And I did.

In each of these situations above, I felt completely drawn, totally compelled to say, ‘yes’. Were there at times, little voices of doubt that tried to sneak in? Sure. But you know what? They were different this time around. In the past, that little pesky voice that tells you you’re not enough was always, ALWAYS louder than the voice that said, ‘I can’.

But this time? There wasn’t even a chance for that little guy.

What was the difference?

Faith.

Maybe you call it kismet. Or fate. Or destiny.

I call it…Jesus.

There is little doubt in my mind, that there has been divine intervention in my life’s path in the past year.

And if Jesus isn’t your jam? It’s all good. You know why? Getting still in your soul doesn’t have to just be about Jesus. It can be about whichever faith you practice. Or maybe it’s just about recognizing the Universe is bigger than you. Ultimately, it’s about releasing all the expectations we place on ourselves, in addition to the ones others place as well.

I used to ask what my life’s purpose was, and it was just so overwhelming. That’s such a HUGE question! So instead, I started asking, what am I meant to do today? This week? This year?

I started setting intentions, instead of resolutions. In the past year, I set an intention that I would seek ways in which I could push myself outside of my comfort zone. That list above? ALL of those became opportunities after I set the intention to step outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself.

And you know what? My life has unfolded in the most beautiful and amazing ways because of it. Opportunities kept arising. One by one.

And one by one, I kept saying, yes.

Why am I climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro when I don’t like heights, have never climbed a mountain and don’t even regularly hike? Because I am supposed to. Because I can.

Because I said yes.

What might happen when you turn your life over to ANYTHING?

Could you too climb a mountain?