I recently interviewed the great, Dave Moravec and I can not wait to share with you the topic of our discussion! Dave serves as President of the Colerain Chamber. His background includes 35 years of business ownership and leadership across multiple companies & industries. Dave was the chamber of commerce President in Hampshire, IL, owned his own printing business, and was involved in educational technology for 8 years.

Saying yes is a powerful thing. Why are some people so afraid of saying yes and committing?

First, it makes us vulnerable. When we initially agree to something we are saying yes today. But that could open us up to the next time they ask and so on and so forth. Second, we are protective. We are protective of our time, because we like our leisure time. Saying yes is a little bit more difficult because we've got to get outside our comfort zone. And lastly, when we say yes, there's some anxiety associated with it when you are wondering if you are going to do a good job or if you are going to have a good time. That anxiety oftentimes causes people to say no.

How do we get out of our own way so we can say yes?

The first thing that we can do is to take small steps. Saying yes to something that's easy is something that everybody can do! If your neighbor is raking leaves and you can see they're struggling and you think, “you know what, I can help them for a half hour.” If it ends up being 45 minutes or an hour, then you've done it on your own terms. But at the end of the half hour, if you've got to be done, then you've already set a boundary for how to exit.

What do we gain from saying yes?

Growth will almost always come as a result of saying yes. Once you tell yourself you can do it and then actually get through it, you can do anything! Some people muddle through what they have agreed to, and they do it with drudgery. What if you changed your mindset? If you don't have a very good experience, at least you can try to have a fun time and then you can say “well, you know what? I tried that. It really isn't for me, so I'm going say yes to something else.”

Are you going to say yes to something new today? What have you really got to lose?

Contact Dave Moravec: www.colerainchamber.org

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