Say YES

I say luck is when opportunity meets preparation. However, for luck to manifest in my life, something else needs to be in place-My willingness to say YES when that opportunity stares at me. 

Eric Schmidt, the erstwhile CEO and Chairman at his Stanford College address, said it so nicely.

“Find a way to say yes to things. 

Say yes to invitations to a new country, say yes to meet new friends, say yes to learn something new. 

Yes is how you get your first job, and your next job, and your spouse, and even your kids. Even if it’s a bit edgy, a bit out of your comfort zone, saying yes means that you will do something new, meet someone new, and make a difference.

Yes lets you stand out in a crowd, be the optimist, see the glass full, be the one everyone comes to. Yes is what keeps us all young.”

On the same idea of YES, another of my favorites, Richard Branson, says brilliantly.

“If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity, but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!”

In case you are wondering, I can’t be saying YES to everything; you are right. It is not about saying yes to everything that comes your way. 

This idea of saying YES applies to anything your inner voice is telling you not to do because of fear or discomfort. It is in your fear and discomfort that the opportunity is hiding. When you say YES, you are embracing that opportunity to make your own luck.