Can you guess what that one word might be?
I’ll give you a clue – it’s only got three letters.
So now you’re thinking cat, pat, dog, fog … and maybe also YES or YET or NOW.
The power of a three letter word
Three of the most powerful words in the world – YES, YET or NOW.
You can transform your career simply by saying YES more often.
By saying YES to things that scare you.
By saying YES to things that you don’t know how to do (yet).
Say YES to more networking. More personal development. More confidence. More success.
How do I know this?
A few years ago (OK it was more than 20 years ago), I saw my dream job advertised. I’ve always been a nature girl. I’ve always loved animals. I’ve always loved being in the countryside.
As a child we spent weekends pottering about in rockpools or exploring the undergrowth in the local woods.
I watched every nature documentary. I read every nature book. Even today, I have a book shelf dedicated to nature books.
My dream job
This dream job was at the BBC Wildlife Unit in Bristol.
I dreamt of working with David Attenborough, visiting the penguins on the Falklands, filming monitor lizards in Africa and watching marine iguanas on the Galapagos.
I didn’t have all the skills and experience required but oh boy, I more than made up for it in knowledge, passion and enthusiasm.
But I allowed myself to be put off from even applying because other people told me “You’ll never get the job” or “You don’t want to move to Bristol.”
I wish I had said YES
I wish I had said YES. Yes I will get the job. Yes I do want to move to Bristol. Yes I want to give it a go.
But I didn’t. Who knows how life might have turned out differently.
When I learned to say YES to new opportunities and challenges, my career transformed.
I went from joining an IT Service Desk (with no previous IT experience) and worked my way up to take on a Global IT Service role based in Chicago (when I was based in London).
Every role brought new challenges and new experiences but I was determined not to make the same mistake twice.
A year of YES
Not convinced yet? A few weeks ago, I watched a fabulous TED talk by Shonda Rhimes. Shonda is the writer and producer of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. So she knows about the power of words.
She talks about the power of YES and how it changed her life. She decided for a year that she would say YES to everything that scared her, including public speaking, losing weight and playing more with her children.
I loved the talk so much that I bought Shonda’s book, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person. It’s the next read for The Confident Mother Book Club too.
How YES can transform your career
If you never say YES to things that scare you, you’ll never learn your full potential.
If you never say YES to challenges that you haven’t faced before, you’ll never discover what you’re truly capable of.
If you never say YES to opportunities, you’ll never learn new skills.
Often I’m encouraging women to say No more often. However today, I want you to explore the power of YES.
What has this inspired you to say YES to? Something that scares you, excites you or thrills you. Leave a comment to let me know what it is.
p.s. If you want to say YES to career success, join me on Saturday 8 June at my Career Confidence workshop. Lunch, refreshments, workbook and follow up Q&A all included.
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