Saying Yes To The Wrong Things

There’s a book written by Danny Wallace called Yes Man, which I read at some point in my teenage years. It follows the author as he responds in the affirmative to every opportunity that is presented with him, leaving his comfort zone firmly behind and propelling him into all kinds of whacky hijinks. The concept was dramatised into a film of the same name, staring Jim Carrey. This approach is a surefire way to avoid FOMO, and indulge in some amount of exposure therapy along the way. I think for most people it’s an interesting thought experiment, and perhaps one with emulating in some small way without fully extrapolating it like Danny did.

I also say yes to a lot of things - but these things tend not to be opportunities, they tend to be responsibilities. If someone says to me “hey Jonny, can you do this thing that primarily benefits me and not you but I’ll feign my appreciation really well in return?” then I will 100% say yes, once again falling victim to my own craving for the ambrosia of external validation.

Obviously a lot of people do this, it’s not like I’m a beautiful and unique snowflake or anything. But it’s something I want to work on - saying yes to opportunities, and no to unnecessary responsibilities.