Before I sign off for the weekend, I wanted to leave you with five powerful quotes from “Year of Yes.”  Have you read that book? In it, Shonda Rhimes (creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal) takes a self-imposed dare to say “yes” to every opportunity she is presented with for one year.  Rhimes chronicles her journey from an insecure woman who always refused things which would force her out of her comfort zone to a free and confident woman who is fully enjoying what life has to offer.  It’s pretty great stuff.

If you, like Rhimes, find yourself a “nay-sayer,” stuck in a rut, or simply down in the dumps, this book is for you.  Read on to discover 5 lessons from the Year of Yes.

“If you want crappy things to stop happening to you, then stop accepting crap and demand something more.”  Can I get an amen?!  This is about setting healthy boundaries, not settling for less than you deserve, and waking up in your own life.  We need to trust our instincts, and hone in to that inner voice telling us whether or not the way others are treating us is truly acceptable.  We need to quit the crappy job, figure out what we really want and start taking steps to get there.  Set goals.  Take baby steps towards them.  #getit

“If I don’t poke my head out of my shell and show people who I am, all anyone will ever think I am is my shell.”  This one is about another favorite topic of mine, vulnerability.  UGH, it is SO difficult to let people see the real us, to embrace our own imperfections and humbly ask others to do the same.  But when we do, we come alive in a way that we never realized was possible when we were hiding in our shells.  Besties, you are way more than a shell.  It’s time to let the world receive the gift that is the real you.

“There is victory in surrender.”  The way I see it, we can spend all our lives grasping and clutching for control that we will never  actually have, or we can release our kung-fu grip on life and surrender to something bigger.  For me, this means surrendering my life to God – one who knows me and loves me and offers me freedom to live life to the fullest.  For you, it may be a different faith or spiritual practice, or it may be as simple as saying “it is what it is” instead of “UGHHHH WHHYYY??”  There is so much wisdom in letting go.  There is so much peace as well.  

“Volunteer some hours.  Focus on something outside yourself.  Devote a slice of your energies toward making the world suck less every week.”  Volunteering is awesome for our soul.  Random acts of kindness should be called redeeming acts of humanity.  I don’t need to remind you how terribly messed up this place is.  But we can choose to dwell on that, or we can choose to use what we are given to bless others.  We can choose to change our own little slice of this world and, in so doing, we can change the whole dang thing.  

“One.  Word.  NO.  No is a powerful word.  To me, it’s the single most powerful word in the English language.  Said clearly, strongly, and with enough frequency and force, it can alter the course of history.”  ‘Nuff said.  

What are your favorite lessons from the Year of Yes?  Besties, I wish you a happy, healthy and fun Memorial Day weekend!  Enjoy your loved ones, live it up and savor the good life…yours.

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