What Will YOU Say?

Having a Motivational Speaker as a client and dear friend certainly has its fringe benefits. Mostly it has me contemplating how I move through my life. Hopefully with more concise direction!

I came of age in the 80's when Nancy Reagan's JUST SAY NO campaign was raging. I'm not entirely sure how effective it was. I still managed to say YES to everything at least once. As well, I've always been the kind of person to over-extend myself. Even as a teenager, my Mother would say "Just tell her NO! You have to learn to say no Michael." Alas,  no hasn't ever taken place at the front-and-center of my vocabulary. Why? There are far too many reasons to say YES! In fact what I'm realizing, is that I haven't said YES, enough...let me share a little story with you.

About 6 months after my Mother passed away, I had the most extraordinary, vivid dream.

You can call it a visitation, if you like.

She and my Grandmother were  trying very hard to convince me of something. They desperately wanted me to understand that I possessed magic. They insisted it had always been inside of me, my whole life! I can see the plaintive look in her beautiful pea soup-green eyes as she said "You can do it Mockie, you can do ANYTHING you want to sweetheart- the magic is inside of you!" Just then fire started shooting through my fingertips as if they were rockets. I completely freaked out, but they just giggled and laughed. There was an extremely loud and audible POP, and then my eyes flew open to see fire shoot out of the wall next to my bed. I jumped out to feel the wall, certain that there was an electrical short inside of it. It was cold.

The next day I pondered the dream. Of course I knew that they hadn't meant literal magic, as in witchcraft. I decided that they must have meant ability/capability. Gee, that was nice. Then 2 nights later, ( but without the special effects dream) I awoke at the exact same time to the same loud as hell POP(!), and flash of light coming from inside the wall. I once again hopped out of bed to make sure there was no fire or electrical short. Come on already, really?! Then I realized what that was for. All my life she had badgered me with "Are you paying attention Michael?!" SO like her. She was just making sure.

For all of the amazing adventures in this life I've said yes to, I can readily create the list of possibilities I've turned away. One of the biggest (if you know me) is singing. I've had a burning desire to make music with my voice my whole life. What has stopped me? I could spend allot of time on a therapist's sofa trying to figure that one out, but when you reduce it, I just haven't said yes. Could that really be all it takes? Recent events have convinced me, YES! As I began to explore the idea that I really could do anything I want,   I started creating some things...My fellow Bees and I are now DOING a thing that most people would never believe that they themselves could do! And I reiterate, its happening.

Could it be possible that YES was magic my Mother was referring to?

These days, I'm thinking allot more about the possibilities I've said no to in the past. Where there is a will, a desire, I have learned there is always a way. And if that is truly the case, then ANYTHING is possible. Truthfully,  sometimes its easier to say no, but it's always more rewarding to say yes.

What will you say?