How many times have you denied yourself the opportunity to do something because you chose not to even ask if it was a possibility? We are so scared of rejection that we would rather deny ourselves the “something” we would like to do, rather than ask and see what happens. I have certainly fallen into this trap throughout my life and looking back I don’t really think for good reason. There have been times when I have put myself out there and applied for a job or asked to be involved in something and I have gotten a lot of yes’s out of it. I’m sure I have also gotten a lot of no’s, but the reality is that I don’t remember that many of them. That may be in part that I have a poor memory, but it is also because it was not some traumatic event. I asked, they said no and nothing in my world changed.

The reality is that the “no’s” I remember most were “no, but’s.” I have found these to be just as good or even better. I asked, they said “No, but what about this instead?” This happened when I applied for the head track coach position at Mt. Baker High School. Lindsey sent me the position and I figured since I loved coaching why not. I had no experience coaching track and at this point did not even have any high school coaching experience. So, unqualified for the position would be an accurate description. On top of that it turned out that one of the other applicants was extremely qualified and he was a shoe in for the position. The hiring team made the correct decision and gave me the no. However, they also gave me a but. That but was, would I consider being an assistant coach? Without hesitation I said yes and frankly it could not have turned out better. I loved being an assistant track coach and it has led to many other coaching opportunities since. My point here is by not fearing the no I ended up with a yes, and in hindsight a better yes for me than what I had been seeking out.

Due to Covid the pace of my life changed dramatically for a few weeks. This led to more time at home and more idle time then I am used to. With this change it gave me an opportunity to do things that I had been meaning to do but never got around to. One of those pieces has been to do more writing. I have gotten comfortable writing this blog but had not been comfortable reaching beyond that. During this strange time, I decided what the heck and started putting myself out there as a freelance writer. Incredibly what happened is I got some yes’s and all it took was me asking.

What yeses are you passing up by not asking? Would a no really be that detrimental? If there is one thing I have learned from this strange world we are living in is that we have no idea what tomorrow will bring. Life is too unpredictable to fear a no. If there is something you want to do just go after it and see what happens. You might get a no, you might get a no, but, or you might get that yes you were looking for. The one thing that is certain is you won’t get the yes if you don’t ask.

Here are some of the freelance pieces that have been published so far. If you are in need of some content created please reach out. I hope you enjoy!

For Xtreme Bean Espresso, It’s All About Exceptional Service and Tremendous Teamwork

For Mount Baker Grad Kali Cook, Teammates Motivate her to Keep on Running

The Not So Clear History of Kubb