Guarding our time is important. We only have 24 hours to the day, with a third of those hours devoted to sleep. We then have to consider what to do with the remaining 16 hours of our day.

That includes at least 8 hours in the office for many of us. Then there’s the commute. 

The hours in our day go quickly. Be guarded about them.

But also be open to saying yes to using them.

We will miss out on so many opportunities and life events if we constantly say no. Today, I want to encourage you to say yes to the following 10 things.

10 Things To Say Yes To

1. To your family;

We’ve sacrificed our families on the altar of work and busyness. It’s time to say yes to them and show them how important they are to us.

2. To your hobbies:

Explore different avenues of things you might enjoy. Go fly a drone, take up running, or walk with your spouse or children.

Find something that brings you alive. Then, make time for it by saying yes.

3. To your health:

Ignoring your Health is easy until it’s not. Your health will either keep you going or take you down.

Say yes to getting healthy. Go to the gym, take a run, or ride your bike.

Move your body and keep yourself in good physical shape.

4. To your personal growth:

Your Personal growth matters. Say yes to your personal growth by

• reading a new book
• going to a seminar
• trying something new

5. To rest:

Our days are packed to overflowing. Imagine if you took the time to Rest. You’d have even less time to get things done.

But saying yes to rest is saying yes to your health. Find time to get rest in. You might sneak rest in through a nap at lunchtime, lazy Sundays, or some other way.

6. To your friendships/relationships:

Much like our families, it is easy to say no to our friendships and relationships. We move from one activity to another, all the while forgetting that we have important people in our lives.

Say yes to your friends. Grow those relationships and connections. They matter.

7. To new experiences:

You only live once and then you die. Lately, I’ve seen more than my fair share of people passing away. From my father a few years ago to family members to friends.

Their passings have reminded me that I need to get out and try new experiences. It’s one of the reasons I said yes to running the London Marathon in April of 2024. It would allow Pamela and I to try to do something new and experience a place we’ve never been.

Go, try something new.

8. To accepting help from others:

I can already hear you… But I don’t need to accept help from someone else. I’ve got this.

Maybe you do. Maybe you don’t. Yet here’s one thing I’ve learned…

When we accept help from others, not only am I blessed, but the person helping me is also blessed. You allow someone else to experience their joy through an act of service.

Sometimes, accepting help isn’t about helping yourself but helping others.

9. To a new career:

I recently had a friend lose his job. He was understandably frustrated. This didn’t stop him from going out and finding a new career better suited to his life now.

We get stuck in a rut when we are unwilling to consider saying yes to a new career. Saying yes to this can increase your salary, mental health, or give you the opportunity to do something you’ve never done before.

10. To  adventure:

Say yes to the adventure. When something exciting comes up, say yes. Don’t run from it like many of us do.

Look at the adventure. Say, “This looks fun; let’s do it.” Then go do it.

You won’t regret the adventures you take.