Yes Man
Saying yes is satisfying, as much as saying no is hard! Except when you change perspectives...
He was born Nilesh, but everyone knew him as Neil. He was born a nice guy, and everyone knew him as one. Everyone knew that Neil would never say no, he was the person to go to, the person you could depend on, the most unselfish person ever! Neil did not like to believe that.
Neil though, was not thinking of the weekend last year. A winter storm was brewing and the roads were too dangerous to drive. A weather advisory to "leave home only if urgent" had been issued. Neil had nothing planned other than playing around in the snow with his son, or make a snowman. But, Neil knew his colleague working in the hospital that weekend was very scared to drive in the snow. He immediately said yes to covering the weekend instead of his colleague. He didn't mind driving in the snow and hospitals did not close down for the weather.
Another time, Neil was at home watching a movie with his wife. His phone pinged. It was a text from Alex. Alex had just bought a new house and moved in last month. However, the unpacking seemed to be too daunting a task. Neil was feeling lazy himself but it sounded like his friend really needed help with the boxes. He did not want to disappoint Alex by saying no. He picked up his keys and was out of the house in no time.
Neil never said no to helping anyone. Once, as he was on his way to a game of tennis his phone rang. It was Jay and he needed a favour. Jay was very good at wood working. He had just built this wooden sculpture, an elaborate ensemble of birds and trees that he planned to erect by the entry to his garden. He needed someone to help him put it up. Jay knew Neil since childhood. He had called Neil thinking he’d be free. Jay said he could try calling others if Neil was busy but Neil's was the first number he had called. Neil was already turning around his car to drive to Jay's before they had hung up.
Don't get me wrong, Neil was not a pushover, nor did he think of himself as a victim or martyr. He was successful and had done very well for himself. However, Neil loved helping people. He knew he could say no, but he liked saying yes to help. It made him feel good. Neil tried to think of times he'd said no to someone, but there weren't too many times that came to his mind. He was proud of that. He liked being the 'Yes Man!'
But, I wonder - did Neil's son hear a no to building snowmen and throwing snowballs? Didn't Neil's wife hear a no to spending some time together watching a movie? Did Neil himself hear no to doing something he really enjoyed and was important to his self-care? I wonder...