How to Discover the World of Yes!
906 views · Published 8 September 2009 · 3:30 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: Cynthia Sue Larson · 2009 · People & Blogs
http://www.realityshifters.com How can we know when we say "Yes!" to an opportunity, what may happen next? How could we even begin to guess what hidden worlds of possibility might unfold? There truly is something magical in the word "Yes," as it invites feelings of acceptance, recognition, appreciation, invitation, and connection. Barriers fall away like leaves in the breeze, and worlds of possibility open in ways previously unimaginable. "Yes!" is a word we can say to ourselves, and in so doing, open up new worlds we otherwise might never imagine. When I was a teenager, I was surprised one day when a neighbor I had not previously met visited our home to ask my mother if she had teenage daughters who might be friends with her daughter. This middle aged lady had such a kindly face and sincere voice that any initial doubts on my part vanished before having a chance to fully arise. I was so positively impressed with this woman who had introduced herself and extended such a lovely invitation, that I immediately said, "Yes, I would love to meet your daughter!" I followed Joan directly back to her house to meet her charming daughter, who has now been one of my dearest and best friends over the past thirty years. I have been giving "Yes!" a lot of thought this month, as I discovered a book that will clearly be a classic in its field, Learned Optimism. When I took psychology classes at UC Berkeley many years ago, I was deeply impressed by studies I read about dogs that became helpless after experiencing situations they had no control over. As it turns out, one of the researchers involved in these early studies, Martin Seligman, was one of the researchers who first saw the significance of these experiments in helping identify root causes and possible solutions for helplessness and depression. Seligman discovered that just as we can feel helpless and depressed, so too are we capable of learning cognitive skills that provide us with the power to become resilient and remain hopeful. Optimism can be learned, and can be taught... and I am thinking that this just might be one of the greatest findings of our time. "yes is a world & in this world of yes live (skillfully curled) all worlds." -- e.e. cummings When we say "Yes!" to new opportunities, we can set in motion a whole series of marvelously life-enriching events. Cynthia Sue Larson of RealityShifters discusses one time that she is very glad she said, "Yes!" and talks about a landmark book in psychology, "Learned Optimism," written by Martin E. Seligman, PhD. This video is a summary of the September 2009 issue of RealityShifters, which is available to view online at: http://www.realityshifters.com/pages/archives/sep09.html
