Hey there, it’s Jenn! Welcome back to another episode of the summer series.

Hope you had an amazing Christmas with family and friends.

Welcome back to another episode of the Summer Series – and I’ve got a cracker for you today. We are heading back, wayyyy back to episode 48 – but it’ll be worth it – trust me!

This episode was one that I still remember recording because it made me so uncomfortable sharing my story. The episode is about the year I said YES to everything and what happened because of that.

The year I said yes to everything was a few years ago now, but believe me when I say that it’s still impacting my life today. Honestly, I wouldn’t be here, doing this business, this podcast, this life, if I didn’t – it’s still opening doors for me because I said yes for a year!

Have a listen and perhaps, just perhaps, 2025 could be the year you say YES to everything!

Enjoy and happy summer listening.

THE YEAR OF SAYING YES

I have to say, straight up, this episode is putting me out of my comfort zone.  I am always ALL about my listeners, my customers, YOU – so talking about me, is giving that rolling tummy feeling.

But I wanted to share and hopefully even inspire you to think about what you’d like to achieve in 2020 and how, just maybe, having a year of “saying yes” just might get you there (wherever it is that you want to go).

BUT what this story isn’t about is being busy.  I’m not telling you my story about “saying yes” to every opportunity to encourage you to book up your calendar with “stuff”.

It’s about saying yes to opportunities that align with your values or your business values, with your hopes and dreams, but may have always been outside your comfort zone and therefore you wouldn’t normally say yes to.

So, again, this isn’t about being busy being busy, it’s still about alignment and strategy, it’s more about comfort zones.

Ok, so the story starts about 3 years ago, on News Years Eve.

I’m at my besties house, it’s very late (way past my bedtime) and my bestie and I are laying watching the stars.  We’ve consumed a bit of wine, ok a lot, and we are starting to get, well, DEEP!

For me, the coming year was either going to be EPIC or horrid.  My choice right?

About a week ago I’d listed my retail business for sale and we already had a purchaser.  I know right, insane. 

I was selling my baby.  Something I’d built up, nurtured, poured my heart, soul, and salty tears into and now it was going to be someone else’s baby.

So, my bestie turns to me, keeping this in mind, and also keeping in mind that we were pretty cloud 9-y by now, and says “Jenn what are you going to do this year with no shop”? 

I said, “I don’t know, I really don’t know, but I’m not going to say no to opportunities”

Bestie said “No, ok, me either”

And so, become to drank pack of having the year of not saying no.

Just an edit here – why not the year of saying yes you might be asking – wine.  Wine is the answer to that question.

So here I am, basically unemployed because I sold my business, feeling just a wee bit lost but determined to make this work – I just didn’t know what “this” was.

Sometimes we don’t have to have it all worked out – we just need to trust the journey.

Here’s what the year of not saying no gave me or did to me!

• Firstly, not business wise, but that very bestie used this “not saying no” against me and signed us up to do a 20 mile race (32 kms) from one side of King Island to the next.

I DON’T RUN!

It took me almost 5 hours, it was emotionally draining.  The footage of me crossing that finish line will never see the light of day.  Oh, the crying, not just normal crying, ugly face crying – everything hurt.

But the lessons I learnt about myself and business from that day make a fabulous Keynote presentation.

I would never had said yes to anything like this… EVER.

• I landed my dream role in a business. I’d always had a mentor, a marketing mentor, in my business so it was like Christmas when my mentor rang and said “hey, want to come work with me – you’d make an amazing business coach”.

              Umm, heck yeah – I’m in.

              Although, there was bumps and some which couldn’t be overcome in this partnership, those 2              years, 110% changed me and gave me the confidence to do what I’m doing now and freaking loving              it.

              I am beyond incredibly thankful for that time.

              Again, I would never have said yes to an opportunity like that if I had time to think about it – but    there was no time to think about it – the answer simply was yes, because it was the year of not       saying no.

• I got my first ever paid speaking gig.

You may not think that’s big, but for me that was HUGE!  Only 12 months beforehand I was a steer in headlights when it came to public speaking.

I never thought, NEVER, that I would have a business that involved speaking to audiences.

And although before that very first speaking gig, I was in the toilets bringing up lunch, because I was so enormously nervous – there was no choice – the answer was yes.

• Sometimes I think I need a new bestie, because that year she also made me do a half marathon ☹ – she really took advantage of me …

• I started networking. Again, a deer in the headlights when it came to networking – so very far outside my comfort zone back then.  Something I’d never done before.

I was asked to attend the Professional Speakers Association night, which made my tummy roll, but I said yes.  I wasn’t networking with my own kind here; I was seriously up levelling my networking. 

But there was no choice.  I had to say yes. 

At the night, I found some other newbies attending and they made wine – so I was set – they talked wine – I tasted wine – it was perfect!

I could go on and on about all the different parts of my journey to here, today, that were brought on by the “year of not saying no”.  But I’m hoping that just those few above might just inspire you.

So, when you sit down and think what’s my new years resolution going to be this year, make it that you’ll have a year of saying yes (or not saying no!) and see where the yes take you.

Commit to it.  It’s the only way.  When someone asks you to do something – don’t hesitate, say yes.

Of course, I mean in reason, it’s got to be safe of course.

But I’ve found in my life and many of those around me, that fear takes over and they say no to opportunities because saying yes is too scary.

Embrace the scary.

Be bold

Have the year of not saying no – I promise you it will be the best year of your life.

Oh, but word of warning, watch who you tell about this little “saying yes” thing, because people will take advantage of you – umm 32 kms – say no more.

I didn’t really tell anyone.  Not until the year was almost done and people would say to me, wow you’ve had an amazing year haven’t you and I would say, yep, it’s because I said yes.

Who’s in?  You in?

Send me a message or email or head into the Facebook Book, Like Minded Business owners and commit to everyone in there that you’ll make 2020 the year of not saying no!  Or the year of saying yes!

If you’re not a member of Like Minded Business Owners, simply head to Facebook, type in Like Minded Business Owners and join up.  Otherwise, there’s a link in the new notes at www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/podcast

www.facebook.com/groups/LikeMindedBusinessOwners

I’ll be back next Thursday with some more marketing know-how and another discovery of course. 

If you’re enjoying this podcast, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode and share this with a friend.  And maybe leave me a rating and a review wherever you listen in.  Those things are like gold for podcasters like me!  PS – you can leave more than one rating and review – just saying!

But that is all for Episode 48. I’d love to connect with you all on social – so let’s get social on social – I’m on all the platforms, so let’s do that!

…….. and remember small business peeps, as my opening song says, there’s no point in dreaming small!