She Said Yes . . .

Yes to treating herself with more compassion and kindness.

Yes to more down time without as much guilt.

Yes to doing what felt right vs. what was expected.

Yes to asking for help – from projects around the house to therapy!

Yes to accepting a less than perfect body with oodles of curves, and not letting it hold her back from a bathing suit or lingerie!

Yes to receiving compliments from others and not brushing it off because it was uncomfortable to hear and hard to believe.

Yes to receiving feedback and occasionally tough love from well-meaning friends when they called her out on her BS.

Yes to new experiences (and with new people).

Yes to unexpected opportunities and fun even though work was piled up.

Yes to time with friends and laughing so hard it hurt and Depends may or may not have been needed.

Yes to giving up control of situations that in the past would have given her anxiety to do so.

Yes to taking big leaps to create the life she always envisioned for herself.

Yes to finding gratitude in people and situations that previously sucked the life out of her – knowing that that led to her making some of the changes she did.

And yes, SHE is ME – Leslie Sturgeon.

Awhile back I read Shonda Rhimes book “The Year of Yes” and it had a profound effect on me. In a nutshell, it was about how she “learned to explore, empower, applaud, and love her truest self” and how she said “yes” to what scared her. I didn’t set out this year with a plan to purposely say “yes,” but upon reflection, I realized that saying “yes” is exactly what I did. And it felt good. It felt odd. It felt uncomfortable. It felt like I was honoring myself even though I had moments of wanting to crawl under the bed and hide. It left me feeling like “yes” was a word that needed to stay for a long time. (Side note: I learned years ago that “No” was a complete sentence and that transformed my life, too, especially as it relates to being on committees. Committees are evil, tee hee.)

So many of you have followed my personal journey over the years and helped me navigate some very emotional and difficult times. I am still a work in progress, but embracing (and even digging) the process of learning more about myself. My question for you is: What can you say “Yes” to in your life right now? And perhaps saying “No” is a bigger gift. If a visualization exercise helps, think of the diner scene with Meg Ryan in “When Harry Met Sally” and repeat after Meg, “YES – YES – YES.” Sometimes, like Meg, you even need to fake it to make it. But in this case, let that “Yes” be 100% true!

Leslie Sturgeon is the founder of Women Inspiring Women, and has been described as a reformed shy girl, a serial entrepreneur, a tireless leader of women in New Hampshire, a crazy dog lover and as someone who tackles life’s challenges head on with a positive attitude. She has spent her life learning about herself, taking massive action outside of her comfort zone and lived to talk about it. Leslie has “been there” and continues to transform into the best version of herself right along side you. She lives life without regret while embracing today and overflowing with excitement about what is yet to come. Leslie also likes girl talk and chocolate and laughing so hard she snorts or pees (sometimes both simultaneously).