I’m sharing the yeses that have made the biggest difference in my life. 

We’re getting specific. And personal. 

My hope is that in sharing them – you’ll be encouraged to find the yeses that you need most.

Here an overview of what I am sharing today:

• What pivotal yeses look like and feel like
• How our yeses add up to create a lifestyle
• Why we need to start asking yourselves NOW what we really want

Next week, I’ll be back with Part 2 – Diving deep into how to recognize your own yeses!

But for now, join me and give this episode a listen!

Don’t forget - you can now also watch Raise Your Hand, Say Yes on YouTube!

(and then you can always head back here to the show notes for each episode if you need any extra details like books I talk about or other fun stuff I mention)

Yeses That Have Made the Biggest Difference in My Life

Today I am sharing in no particular order, the three yeses that have made the biggest difference in my life.

The Yes That Told Me To Stop Drinking

As of this recording, I am 7-and-a-half years sober. I quit drinking in January of 2017, but for many years, I had whispers that alcohol was not serving me. 

Back in 2016, I had 2-and-a-half-year-old twins, and I started listening to the Home Podcast  with Laura McKowen and Holly Whitaker and hearing stories of sobriety.

And I started noticing … I noticed things like how I was rushing through my kids’ bedtime, so I could have a glass of wine.

So the whisper actually wasn’t – should you quit drinking? The whisper was, are you going to rush through their entire childhood so you can drink wine?

Drinking wasn’t a problem yet, but I knew it would become a problem.

Was it fun to say yes to a life of sobriety? Nope.

But it turned out to be one of the most important yeses of my life.

The Yes That Made Me Move to Colorado

When we moved from California to Colorado, it wasn’t convenient. In fact, it was hard and expensive. We felt really vulnerable – there was so much uncertainty.

Nothing was forcing us to move – there wasn’t a job change or anything, instead, my husband Tim and I asked ourselves: What do we want our life to look like? What do we want it to feel like?

This yes started as a maybe, and then was followed by curiosity and wondering …

So this serves as a reminder that the yes you’re craving may not be quick and easy. And yet, it might be just what you need.

The Yes That Made Me Restructure My Business

In 2020, I started shifting my business to make it feel more manageable. 

This was so hard and involved so many difficult conversations.

I had been running in maintenance mode for a while, and this was an opportunity to step back and ask myself what I actually wanted. 

It took a while, and it felt pretty scary.

What I know now is that even in making heartbreaking decisions I was creating the thing that was me and that felt like home.

Messy Yeses

In fact, many of the things I have said yes to – quitting drinking, moving, restructuring my business, have involved grappling with big feelings and hard moments.

We have to keep in mind that a yes may look great on paper, or on Instagram, and still come with moments where we find ourselves unable to catch our breath, wondering what we’ve gotten ourselves into.

The Yeses Are Bricks Paving the Way

And then there are the yeses that for whatever reason, don’t even work out.

Sometimes we need something to not work out to show us what to do next.

Our job then is to remember that every single yes is a brick, paving our way into the life we want.

Although, listening to the whispers, and asking ourselves what we really want can be scary.

So here is what I want you to know: Saying yes to change doesn’t mean you have to throw out everything you’ve worked really hard for, and saying yes to what you want doesn’t mean things have to be the opposite of what you have.

But if we don’t choose to be deliberate, and look at our lives, something often happens that forces us to.

So let’s preempt the wake-up calls and start living intentionally today, even if it feels a little unfamiliar and uncertain.

Building a Life with Bravery

So if we’re going to build a life with bravery, we have to try things with shaky hands and wobbly legs sometimes.

You can start with micro yeses – like cutting your hair or painting your walls a new color. Or you can say yes to slightly bigger things – like quitting social media, or taking a break from therapy.

All of these yeses count and matter. And they all add up to creating a lifestyle.

In fact, with every yes you say, you reinforce that you are a person who figures things out as you go, who is brave, who does scary things and who can create a home within yourself so that the circumstances of your life don’t determine whether or not you are a success.

It’s kind of magic, y’all.

Part 2 is Coming Next Week (Get it as soon as it goes live!)

Remember, I will be back next week, talking about how you know what whispers to listen to, and how to start really saying yes.

So be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast listening spot, or head over to my YouTube channel to subscribe and follow and like this episode. Then click the notifications button so you get a fancy little alert every time a new episode goes live.

I Want To Hear From You!

What stood out to you about today’s episode? 

What made you say Oh hell yes, or hmmm …

Got questions? Or ideas you would like me to maybe talk about here? 

Your feedback makes a huge difference!

Leave a comment or an Instagram DM. Or, you can always find me at tiffanyhan.com.

See you next time!

Resources from this episode:

• Gentle Productivity Club
• 4 Years of Sobriety: 5 Things I Got Wrong and 5 Things I Had NO IDEA About
• Telling the Truth Outloud with Laura McKowen
• Reflections on a Year of Sobriety (Woah. And Yay!)
• Home Podcast