The Two Most Powerful Words...

Yes. No.

Those, my friends, are the two most powerful words. Each one is the choice of a path at any given moment in time, and can completely alter your life.

There is much written about the power of Yes--something I have experienced many times.

I said Yes to the University of New South Wales, and moved to Sydney at the young age of 18.
I said Yes to the South Australian School of Art, and moved to Adelaide at 19.
I said Yes to moving back home short of completing my degree. This meant I got to spend time with my father, however tumultuous it was, before he passed away. It also meant...
I said Yes to the Oregon College of Art and Craft.  Twice.
I said Yes to Reality Vs. Illusion, the exhibition that led to my friendship with dear Sonya.
I have said Yes to going on a date with my now-husband; to adopting not one but two cats; to working for families who I cherish; to being published in books; to multiple other jobs that have gotten me where I am today; to going to London and Italy with my stepmom. The list goes on. These are decisions that have visible outcomes.

As important and empowering as saying Yes is, saying No has just as much effect on our lives and their outcomes. However, the effects may not be quite as visible--saying No usually means standing up for ourselves; keeping out the baddies; turning down offers or refusing to be taken advantage of.

I said No to being abused by multiple ex's.
I said No to friendships or relationships with toxic people.
I said No to a job that made me hate myself.
I said No to following other peoples dreams, rather than my own.
I said No to being scared and intimidated by a sexual predator.
I said No to holding on to the past and letting it rule my life.
I have said No multiple times to going out when I needed to just take care of myself. 
I have said No to settling for less.

There is so much emphasis on saying Yes--there have been multiple books written on it, if not movies, television spots, articles, blog posts (hello!), etc. Yes is exciting, inspiring, invigorating! However, it is not the be all and end all. Saying No is extremely powerful, and much more in the sense that it tends to be done around protecting oneself. To be honest, I have an incredibly hard time saying No. It is a daily struggle. But I try to embrace it (without being too much of a humbug.)

What are your Yes's and No's? How have they changed your life? How will they change your life in the future?