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Say YES

“Ask a busy person . . .” It makes sense. A busy person already has a reputation for saying yes. And odds are he/she will again. But I want to talk about the reflex of saying no.

Why do people do that? Who wants the rep of being the negative one? You say no to me once, I will hesitate to ask you again.

Recently I was chatting with an actress who recommends other actors for a play-reading series. She said that the actors who hesitate or insist on reading the play before committing have already lost the opportunity. She moves on to the next choice.

People whose initial instinct is to ponder, consider, and weigh disappoint me. It is so opposite to how I operate. My gut response is not “Why?”; it’s “Why not?” Now, I’m not suggesting jumping in blindly; that’s just stupid. But once I’ve considered the source and the source is solid, I feel flattered they asked me . . . and that just makes me feel good about myself. I like being the go-to girl.

And I adopt the same attitude when I’m directing, juggling my schedule to accommodate requests, constantly revising and assessing my day. What can I say, I’m greedy—and I suggest you be too.

So say yes. Say, “When?” Say, “I’d love to!”

Posted on February 1, 2015 in Uncategorized

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