FINALLY! A movie I want to see! Yes, I want to see Yes Man! I love the concept that the trailer purports of someone deciding to say “Yes!” to everything that comes his way. I read a blog post not too long ago by either Steve Pavlina or Steve Olson that talked about how we should say “Yes!” more. I immediately realized that I often said “no” because I was scared of the unknown. By saying “no” I knew exactly what would happen whereas “yes” led down a path that I couldn’t always forecast. As a salesperson, I realized that one of the issues I faced had to do with people choosing no because it was safe for them. They didn’t know if I was trapping them with a good-natured offer or if they would then owe me something or maybe they’d find themselves placed in an uncomfortable position later. These were all the same fears I had myself. I learned to phrase my offers in a manner that described exactly what my prospect could expect and by removing the unknown, I made it easier for them to say yes.

So why should I start saying yes? I realized that if I wanted people to say yes to me, I should be more open to saying yes to others. Besides, if I dislike rejection, why should I be heaping it upon people? If someone stuck their neck out to offer me something, why shouldn’t I say yes? Does my fear of the unknown trump their fear of rejection? Heck, the unknown is only the unknown for a short period of time anyway. And if I do get into a situation that is awkward, I can usually think fast enough to get myself out of it.

Has anyone seen the trailer to Yes Man? Did you recognize Jim Carrey’s colleague who invites him to a costume party and then opens the door dressed as a Spartan? That’s Murray from Flight of the Conchords! Yes, GINGER BALLS!

The Trailer:

Ginger Balls:

“Hey kid, wanna try some crack?”
Obviously there are times when “no” makes perfect sense. I am suggesting saying yes rather than going with an automatic no because you are unsure of the outcome and you want to stay in your safe and comfortable zone. I am not suggesting anyone say yes to situations in which the outcome is obviously not healthy or morally wrong. Like dressing up as a Spartan.