The rules of my extended 'Summer of Saying Yes'

When I explain that I've challenged myself to a year of saying yes, people are normally intrigued and slightly scandalized.
Intrigued, because it's led me to a whole lot of amazing things: new friends, new restaurants, new concerts, the finish-line of a half-marathon and the top of the CN Tower stairs.

Scandalized, because saying, "Yes!" can certainly get one into trouble. And people's minds like to go to those cases first.

So, I must clarify that it's a year of saying yes to everything -- within reason.

If it's something I don't want to do, I ask myself, "Why?" before I say no.

My basic rule of thumb is to consider the worst possible outcome. If the worst-case scenario for trying something new is the possibility of having a slightly lousy time and getting a good story out of it, why not go for it? If the worst case scenario is truly worse, I have given myself permission to veto it. The whole experience is really about breaking my natural inclination to say no first.

In my "previous life," I spent far too much time regretting missed opportunities. So, while it may mean that sometimes I'm awfully tired - then volunteer to come in to my day off to lend a hand with the election - I'm having too much fun to start choosing sleep over socializing and shopping to start saying no just yet!