Yes

Many years ago, when I was interviewing for a job, I was told that, should I be hired, I should plan for my answer to any question to be "yes." Could we shoot something in a different way? Yes. Could I have all the camera people ready with their shots at a moment's notice? Yes. Could I block cameras for a scene I had never seen before (or one that changed completely from the one I HAD seen?) Yes.
 
I got the job, and I have to say, I found the "yes" directive one of the most empowering edicts I had ever encountered. Saying "yes" makes you try harder. Saying "yes" keeps the creative juices flowing. Saying "yes" makes you realize that you (and the people around you) are capable of a lot more than you might have imagined.
 
Both as workers and as parents, we are surrounded by the opportunity to say "no." "No" to things that are unsafe, "no" to things that are inconvenient, "no" when we just want to be in control.
 
Tonight, as I thought about that job, and perhaps in the spirit of Friday night, I tried out saying "yes." "Yes" to dessert, "yes" to a video, "yes" to trying a game. It was challenging, as it was when I started that job all those years ago. But it was also freeing. And satisfying. And joyful.
 
That day in the job interview, the question of whether I could handle always having to say "yes" was designed to determine whether I was right for the job. But these many years later, I am still motivated by that question, and that challenge. "Yes" may be harder to say than "no," and certainly harder to accomplish, but, in the end, "yes" takes you a whole lot farther.