In 2018, I stumbled upon a YouTube channel called Yes Theory. This channel is based on the idea of what saying yes can lead to. They touch upon a range of scenarios, such as asking strangers to get a tattoo with them, throwing a party in a stranger’s house, and even bungee jumping off a helicopter with Will Smith. As the creators of YesTheory put it, “We believe that life can be fulfilling and authentic as you wish so long as you’re willing to seek discomfort.” That really made me think.
Image courtesy of Youtube.com
Honestly, I’m a shy person. I’m not outgoing. Being surrounded by people makes me nervous. Trying new things scares me because I don’t know what will happen. And just in general I am an awkward human being. The thing is, I like meeting new people. I like talking to people and listening to their stories. I like trying new things and exploring new places I haven’t been to. You see, I’ve always had this complex in me where I find it hard and intimidating to put myself out there. More often than not, life scares me.
Image courtesy of Unsplash.com
Putting myself out there. This is probably my biggest fear in life. Growing up, I was conditioned to blend in. Don’t stand out in the crowd. Don’t do anything weird. Be a little less than yourself because no one likes you as you are. That was a thought that was and still does run through my head. The point is, I felt like the more I put myself out there, the more people would judge me. Granted, the more I practiced putting myself out there, the less scary it seemed.
With that being said, one of the questions that YesTheory asks is, “What is your biggest yes?” For me, my biggest yes was starting an Instagram food account. As simple as it sounds, I feel like that choice was the start of me realizing what I actually wanted to do in life. Starting that account made me realize how much I love making new content. More importantly, it made me realize that putting myself out there isn’t as scary as I think it is. By putting myself out there, I was able to connect to so many people and promote so many local businesses. Sometimes I just look back and think about all the memories that stemmed from my food blog, and it brings me a sense of accomplishment.
Of course, I was scared at first to start this blog. There’s a lot of things about myself that I don’t share with people. For me, food holds so much meaning, and it felt scary sharing something so personal with the world. As time went on, when I shared more of it, the more freeing it felt. For once, it felt like people were actually listening to my story, not judging it.
If I didn’t say yes to this idea I had, then I wouldn’t be who I am today; I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing right now. I don’t think I would be as happy as I am.
All in all, life is scary. There are going to be so many things that will make you question what are you doing. I feel like it’s normal to have this fear of living, but we should give our best efforts to not let that fear of living prevent us from living.
Image courtesy of Unsplash.com
If there’s anything I learned from watching Yes Theory, more often than not, things will turn out okay. I feel like we don’t do a lot of the things we want to because we always assume that the worst will happen. We’re so focused on the bad that we forget all the good that might come out of it. There are so many things that I want to accomplish, and I realize that the main thing holding me back is truly just me. I don’t want to live a life filled with fear. That’s why one of my goals in 2019 is to change my perspective on how I approach things. I won’t do things because I’m afraid of what will happen, but I will do things because of what I hope will happen.
So, seek discomfort and say yes.