Cultivating a Life You Love// Part Two: Saying Yes

Welcome to week two of our little series, where we're talking all about how to create a life you love! Last week we covered saying no to things we don't want to do. This week we're going to cover saying yes.

Saying yes is where we start adding in activities that add value to our lives and to the lives around us. These are the things where, when we think about them, get us excited to get out of bed. These are the moments we live for and are excited to face, even when life is difficult.

Just like with saying no, there's a variety of yes's. I'm going to do my best to cover them today.

~"This is more important"~

Keturah kind of jumped the gun on this one in her comment last week, which cracked me up because I was like "Wait! I'm getting to that next week!" If you haven't read her comment, you should definitely go back and read it because she pretty much sums up what I'm going to say here.

But I thought I might put it first, because it's an important distinction and I don't want people to think that I was telling y'all to say no to everything that people ask you to do. That's not it at all. Not even a little. The reason we say no is because we're trying to make room in our lives to say yes. Yes, it's going to involve saying no to people taking advantage of our time by asking us to do something they could easily do themselves, but we do it in order to say yes to people who can't do the thing and have no one else to call. 

There's a lot of moments in our lives where things come up and we have to put aside what we were planning to do in order to help the people around us. Our work is great, but people are more important. 

For me, this is often my neighbor texting me because she needs me to suddenly pick up her kids from school or babysit or do something of the sort. I'll almost always drop what it is I'm doing in order to go help her (unless I completely miss her text like I did last week) because she has no one else to call. It's more important that I put in value time with her and her family. My work can wait a few minutes because this task is more important. 

Another example is taking care of my mom. She has Parkinson's and often needs me to do tasks that she can't do. While we've come to a good balance where she has gained independence and I'm able to focus more on work, there's lots of times where she suddenly needs me to get something or just listen to her because no one else will. There are also periods of time where she has a lot of doctor's appointments and I have to go with/take her. Those moments are more important than finishing a blog post or getting my next Instagram post up. 

So while we'll often say no to people taking advantage of our time, it's important that we step up and say yes when our people need us. Because that is why we're here on this earth. That's one of the reasons we say no in the first place. So we can have the flexibility and time to make time for others when we need to, while still having lots of time to get other things done. 

We shouldn't say no because we're selfish, but because we want to make time for what's important. Ultimately, it's the quality time for people around us. We have souls to reach, y'all, and we need to make sure we have adequate time set aside for them. 

~Work~

Obviously this is an easy yes for most folk. We have our jobs that we show up for and make money at. That's super cool, especially if it's something you love a lot. But even if you don't really love your main job, there's other kinds of work you can do to add value to your life. 

One of these things is side hustles. Is there a form of work that you enjoy and you know you could make a little spending cash on the side by doing them? Maybe you could consider using some of your time towards those things. I mean, why not make some money doing the thing you love? It doesn't have to be a main job or anything, but you can still do it.

My younger brother has a side hustle where he refinishes tables. He enjoys coming home after work and spending some time sanding, staining, and finishing tables. He's managed to start making some money doing it (and yours truly has become one of his employees when I have time). It brings a lot value to his life as he sees his projects come to completion. And the extra cash in his pocket is a nice bonus. Not to mention that people often just give him tables that they have lying around and don't need. 

So while you may have a normal job that maybe doesn't excite you a ton, you can still do things on the side that you love and make some money doing them. I mean, seriously! Why not? It's a win-win!

~Hobbies~

You want to know how many people tell me they don't make time to do the thing they enjoy? You want to know how annoyed I get with them when they say that?

[Insert the gif that I can't find with Gru saying VERY!]

Honestly, it just gets me so riled up. 

You're saying you can't set aside ten minutes to spend on your beloved activity? Really?

I quilt. I've loved it since I was eight. I love putting together little pieces of fabric and seeing how it all comes together. And as I've gone through life, I've found so many opportunities to help those in need around me through my hobby.

My mom and I spent so many precious moments working on projects together, going to quilt shows and classes together, and just blessing the lives around us. I'll never forget the look on peoples' faces when they get a handmade quilt. Not only do I have countless memories with my mom, that I will cherish even after she's long gone, my work has blessed countless others in ways I can't even begin to fathom. 

"Well, people will just think it's stupid or a waste of time." Really? Why do you care? Those people are likely jealous that you actually have something in your life that you enjoy. Do you really want to listen to someone who's judgement is clouded by envy?

Honestly, you might even better the lives around you by practicing your hobby. I have a friend who loves art. She helps others become more creative. She brightens the lives around her when she makes special artwork for the people she cares about. All because she had what it took to say: "yes, I'm going to do the thing even though some people say it's stupid or a waste of time." 

Don't tell me you can't spend a few minutes on something that will not only fulfill your life, but also add quality to the lives of others. Because while some people might criticize you, there are plenty of others in this world that NEED you to hone your craft. Say yes, y'all, and change lives!

~Recreational Activities~

This is one of the most exciting things about being an adult. You get to do stuff!

There's lots of things, I'm sure, that you enjoy doing and would like to spend more time doing them. Why not add some time on your calendar to make it happen?

I love hiking, visiting friends, spontaneous outings, and going on car rides (wow, it sounds like I'm trying to set up a dating profile). These are all things that add some serious value to my life. Over the past year, I've tried to make more time to do those things. 

I feel like a lot of times, we grow up thinking that things like this require a lot of stress and planning ahead of time, but in reality, they don't have to. 

Are there friends you haven't seen recently but want to reconnect with? Go visit them if you can!

Is there a group activity that you like? Grab some friends and make it happen!

Is there some activity  you like to do outside (or inside)? Then go do it! 

It doesn't take a lot of stressing to make things like this happen. Don't believe me? Here's a few things that I've done that didn't take a lot of time to plan, but still ended up being super fun.

Jules and I randomly decided to meet up for lunch one day because she was passing through the area. We had about an hour or two to plan it and ended up having a great time. 

My mom and I saw that a local restaurant was having a special deal for lunch, so we decided to make a lunch date. We went for lunch and ice cream. It was so nice and fun as we're not able to do stuff like that much anymore. 

Joe and I planned a visit with my older brother for a weekend a week before it happened. We literally got up super early, got on the road for eight hours, spent a day with him, then left the next morning. 

So don't sweat it. If you have time on your schedule and there's something you've been meaning to do, go do it. 

Or if you know you want to do something, put it on the calendar well in advance. That way you have something to look forward to. 

~Wrap-Up Points~

And now for a quick recap of what I've said.

1. Say yes to people who truly need you. 

2. Say yes to work, especially the work that brings you fulfillment.

3. Say yes to hobbies that you enjoy. 

4. Say yes to the activities that you love to do. 

I hope this post has inspired you to make time for the things that brings joy to you and the people around you. 

Onto to y'all! What is something that you've said yes to in the your life that you're glad you made time for? What is something that you think you're going to start saying yes to? How do you feel when there's something on your calendar that you love?