Tuesday Thoughts: Say Yes

Hey girl hey. And boy.

This was a message I wanted to write about ever since I started this blog but I literally forgot about it until now. I’m going to give you guys three recent situations that happened in my life and I’ll talk about this concept throughout.

Say yes. 

In 2017, I was invited to a friend’s birthday party across the street from a hotel we were staying at after travel. Initially, I wasn’t going to go because I had just gotten back from a year in a different country and I was in this mindset where I didn’t want to see anyone I knew until the school year started lol. I didn’t know if I would adjust well or fit in but for some reason, I decided I was just going to go for it. Oh and keep in mind that we were pretty young and most of us were Muslim so it wasn’t something like drinking or bad situations that I was saying no to, just a matter of me feeling like I might feel excluded or awkward.

But did any of that happen?

No, the opposite did. It was such a fun time and it holds some of the funnest inside jokes to this day. I met new friends and had a chance to reconnect with old ones who would turn out to be close friends at the school I went to a year later.

Here’s another example. In 2018, this organization manager came to our business class to talk about a business program for high school students. It seemed cool and I was the only one to take a brochure but I just sort of thought in the back of my mind that I wouldn’t sign up. A couple days later, the deadline to sign up was soon approaching and I stumbled across the brochure in my bag. I told my dad about it and began to list the cons such as it being a hassle to drive me far away every week and me not knowing anyone and so on. But my dad thought otherwise and said it would be a great learning opportunity.

So I went for it, my expectations at 0 and I showed up late the first day because we went to the wrong location. It was really awkward but I decided to stay. I decided to say yes.

And what happened? I moved homes and it was actually closer to that program. New friends that made the school I was going to the next year so much better. Being my true self around people I didn’t know. Creating the best memories and going on a free business trip that was the highlight of my summer.

I could have said no like the rest of my class and just stayed in my comfort zone. I could have waited until I was older or waited for “next year” but would that have happened with the corona situation? 

Finally, a few weeks ago I was invited to join this teacher training for 12 weeks in the summer and every week, I was supposed to go over the Islamic course material and teach it to the founders of that organization and other instructors. Mind you that I’m probably the youngest person there because this course is for University students but I managed to squeeze in because my city only had a few people enrolled. Looking over the material, I thought no way.

I’m too young, I’m going to mess up, I’m not prepared, I’ll try next year.

So I messaged the manager of the training and he sent me a message asking me to reconsider my decision and to know that nothing but benefit will come out of it. So I thought about it and realized that I was going to write the Say Yes post that day.

But how can I tell you to say yes when I haven’t done so myself?

I tried it that day and it was nothing but inspiring and empowering and we had such amazing discussions and it just blew my expectations out of proportion. Maybe if I said next year the training wouldn’t be there or the people will be different..etc.    

And there’s just so many more examples like:

• saying yes to talking to someone new
• saying yes to doing the right thing
• saying yes to starting a business
• saying yes to writing a blog post about something you care about
• saying yes to joining new clubs
• saying yes to learning a new skill

I always remembered Zoella’s quote “You will start to enjoy life more the more you say yes to things” and she’s been such an inspiration to starting this blog.

I want to make myself clear that I want you to say yes to your gut feeling or your inner voice that tells you what is right and wrong. This voice can get distorted over time if you don’t follow God’s revelation but try to keep it within the limits to what you know is right. Say yes to what doesn’t make you comfortable. What challenges your bad habits like smoking, drugs, parties..etc.  But I’m also not telling you to say yes to a night out with bad friends. So please please use your own judgement and only say yes if it’s legal, mama approved and all that jazz. Leave any situations you have in the comments if you want any Grandma B counsel. 

Say yes despite you thinking you aren’t good enough. Do what’s right and seize every opportunity you get.

But also be prepared for it to not work out. 

You might audition for that talent show and not make it. You might try that business and have it fail. You might apply to that trip and have it cancelled. You might make it all the way to the top of the line of the scariest roller coaster in that theme park but get turned away.   

When I was in 2nd grade, I was going to get enrolled in an Islamic school but they didn’t have enough space for me. As a result, all my siblings and I went to public school. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I came sooner. If I was always surrounded by Muslims and Islamic upbringing at school. But it wasn’t what was right for me at the time. Maybe growing up in public schools taught me to stand my own ground and to navigate what is wrong and right despite the crowd going the other way. 

So say yes but don’t stress it if it doesn’t work out. If it works, you learn and if it doesn’t, you also learn. 

It’s a win-win.

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With that, I wish you all an amazing day and I’ll see you in my next post. 

When was the last time you said yes?

Is there a current decision you have to take in your life?

Bayyy. 💞