I used to be a yes person.
Dinner party – YES!
Volunteer at kids school – YES!
Do me a favor – YES!
Take on this project at work – YES!
Collaborate with an awesome thought leader – YES!
Join this club – YES!
Then I found myself over-scheduled with too many things going at once. I found my energy drained and resistance to actually doing the thing I said yes to.
I was having a hard time staying in integrity and keeping my agreements.
BOOM! Life-changing moment for me.
I learned the most useful concept. An easy life hack to free up your energy and live in your zone of genius.
Enter the Whole Body Yes Concept
Let’s back up a second.
In order to understand the Whole Body Yes concept it’s helpful to have an understanding of being in integrity by keeping your agreements.
An agreement is something you chose to commit yourself to. You are agreeing to do something by a certain time. Agreements can be made with yourself or others.
When you fail to follow through on an agreement whether by not doing it or not doing it on time you fall out of integrity. You are not doing what you said you would do.
Why does it matter?
Keeping your agreements clear or renegotiating agreements if you can’t keep them will help prevent feelings of shame, blame, guilt, resentment and regret.
In steps the concept of Whole Body Yes.
If you only say Yes when you have a Whole Body Yes you are much more likely to keep your agreements and stay in integrity. This is a stepping ston toward your pupose and living in your zone of genius.
What is a Whole Body Yes?
A Whole Body Yes is when your entire being says yes to doing the thing.
Your head says yes.
- There is logic to it
- It makes sense
- You can see the good reasons behind it
- There is a rationale for why it’s important
Your heart says yes.
- Your emotions say yes
- Your love says yes
- There is no lingering I don’t want to
Your gut says yes.
- Your instinct says yes
- Your yes feels really grounded
- You will feel this all through your body – drop into yourself and feel what your instinct is telling you
The above signals a Whole Body Yes but I like to add one more element.
Your spirit says yes.
- You may be feeling a calling to say yes
- You feel it igniting your sense of purpose to say yes
- It may feel like God is asking you to do this thing
- It may feel like love is asking you
Often if your spirit says Yes it may override the head, heart and gut. If you feel called by your spirit your body may react with fear and resistance. Yet when I feel called, I go. You can expect this to happen a lot of the time.
Having a whole body yes doesn’t mean you won’t have fear or sadness. By following your whole body yes, you are freeing up energy and allowing life to flow through you.
You will find it much easier to keep agreements and stay in integrity when you are only saying yes to things you are really committed to.
Saying yes too much when you aren’t committing is a big reason why burnout happens.
You have little integrity breaches all over your life.
- With yourself
- Your body
- Your self-care
- Your family
- Your marriage
- Your belongings – your house is a mess
All these little breaches add up.
Start by saying yes only when you have a Whole Body Yes and you will find you free up a lot of energy and a lot of your life.
Slow down and listen to your body – feel your feelings, your sensations, and your internal wisdom. It will steer you in the right direction.
This article is related to my podcast episode on Whole Body Yes – Listen here.
