Yes!!!

Hello there again,

I hope everyone is doing well. To catch up, I am feeling a lot better. Got myself out of the rut, which is fantastic, and I am feeling much better about life.

I had a really nice relaxing weekend, and I ended up watching a couple of movies, one of which was Yes Man.

I had heard quite a lot about it and I have wanted to see it for a long time, but I did not really know what to expect. I would say its a feel good movie but I also think it has a lot of hectic messages in it. This movie explains why it is so good to say yes to new experiences, which is fantastic. I am all for new experiences and trying new things. One thing however, really got to me: The way that the "Yes People" change the main characters mind on saying yes. For those who have not seen it, at a "YES!" seminar, the "Yes People" shout at the main character until he says yes to taking a 'covenant' which states he has to say yes to EVERYTHING. Society literally dictated what HE wants. He really had no opinion in the matter.

To me this actually shows how we are dictated to by society. And a lot of the time we do not form our own opinion. I know I do this a lot. We should try to think about what society tells us we should do, and what we really want to do.

Why should we stick to the "norm", if you can even say that there is a "norm". The question word "why" is my favourite question. Why do we do the things we do, why do I feel this way, why do I want this? And most of the time, when I don't ask this question to myself, I end up doing what society wants me to do and not what I think is best.

So as an exercise, maybe try asking yourself why before you make a decision. Is it your choice, or is your choice somehow being influenced?

Now, on a slightly different topic to "why", saying yes to things is most definitely not a bad thing. Why not experience something new? Why not do that really scary thing you said you never would do? If you can come up with a good answer then I can understand why you wouldn't want to do that, but if you cannot think of a GOOD answer to why not, then maybe try it, experience new things and you might find something else that you really like.

To conclude, I urge you all to form your own opinions and to not be dictated to. Stand up for what you believe in, even if you are standing alone, because your opinion matters, and you never know, you might be surprised by the number of people that end up standing with you.

Ask the important question : Why?

Until next week,
Liam Joubert