“Perhaps the biggest tragedy of our time is that freedom is possible, yet we pass our years trapped in the same patterns.” – Tara Brach

You already know what you’re going to do. You’ve already decided if you’re going to leave your job. You’ve decided if you’re going to break up with your boyfriend or eat that whole piece of chocolate cake. We all do. We just don’t realize we already know.

If most of us know what we’re going to do, why is it so hard to cut through the crap and embrace the inner knowledge we own?

Personal history gives us handy biases about how things “are” and what’s “possible” and “realistic.” Our brains are smart. They look for patterns in our environment to keep us safe and to use less energy.

We create limits that are invisible to everyone but our subconscious bias. And in turn, we never give ourselves the chance to see what’s possible beyond our own prediction.

The fact is: It’s a lot easier to say no in the face of uncertainty than it is to say yes.

Our March theme, Say Yes, is about making a deliberate choice that shakes things up and grants a new perspective. Taking the road less comfortable and being open to the fallout. When we form new associations with taking risks it will become easier to opt in than opt out.

In March, our contributors will be sharing their own stories of when they said yes—to a new DIY project, to self-reinvention, to making new friends. They’ll be writing about the lessons they learned from a month of saying yes, and why saying yes to boundaries can improve your mental health. I’ll be writing about the journaling prompts that have the power to shift your perspective, among other topics. We can’t wait to share what we have in store in the weeks to come!

We want joy. We want ease. We want to take risks without fear and doubt holding us back. All of this is possible by saying “yes” to a new belief—one of potential and possibility vs. thinking it’s “too late” or “too hard” or “too out there” for someone like you.

Saying yes requires practice. Saying yes requires patience. Saying yes is not about instant gratification but the act of saying yes to being in the moment, to choosing action over inaction and agency over powerlessness.

Saying yes requires practice. Saying yes requires patience. Saying yes is not about instant gratification but the act of saying yes to being in the moment, to choosing action over inaction and agency over powerlessness. Saying yes can often mean embracing no. It’s about saying yes to new patterns, new pathways, new perspectives, and no to ones that keep giving us the same results.

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Kate Arends

Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.