Why “Yes, And!” Matters to You

By now you are probably aware that my new book, “Say ‘Yes, And!'” launches tomorrow, Tuesday, February 28th. And, if you buy it tomorrow (and tomorrow only) you’ll get access to over $200 in great bonuses.

Rather than go on about the book, I have included a short excerpt below. The excerpt explains why the concept of saying, “Yes, And!” is so important. It also starts with a short personal story as to why I feel so passionately about the idea.

Tomorrow you’ll get an email reminder letting you know the book and bonuses are ready to go. I hope you’ll consider buying a copy for three reasons:

1. I’m very proud of this new book. It’s short, but the info within is very powerful and I know it can make a big difference
2. You have the opportunity to get some awesome bonuses (for a full list, visit this page: Launch Day Bonuses)
3. It will be a big help to my Amazon ranking. I realize that this reason may not be that compelling for you, but, if you have followed my stuff for any period of time, and if you enjoy the e-zines, blog posts, resources, etc., then I would truly appreciate you helping me out and picking up a copy of “Say ‘Yes, And!'” tomorrow, 2/28.

Here’s the excerpt:

Please Learn From My Stupidity!

The idea of saying, “Yes, And” instead of “yes, but,” is very near and dear to my heart, because as I look back on my life I can say, without exaggeration, that everything I have right now came from saying, “Yes, And.” And I almost missed out by being attached to saying “yes, but”…

My entire life now revolves around improv comedy. I have performed it for over twenty years. I ran my own group for seven years. I have a speaking and training business that uses improv comedy ideas to enable organizations to be more creative and communicate more effectively.

Would it surprise you to know that I got dragged into improv comedy kicking and screaming?

It’s true. I “yes, butted” the heck out of improv comedy before I finally tried it. (What can I say? I can be a little dense).

Growing up, I had acted in all of my high school’s theater productions. When I went off to college I decided not to get involved in theater because I knew what a time drain it was, and I wanted to “focus on my studies.” (my parents would be so proud. They probably are now saying, “What the heck happened??”) So, at college, I did not audition for or get involved in any performing arts groups.

After hanging out with my new college friends, one of them – his name is Matt, and he will never let me forget this story – suggested I try out for the university’s improv troupe.

“Improv?” I said. “I don’t do improv. I’ve always done scripted work. I don’t think my humor would translate to improv.”

Yes, that was me saying, “yes, but I don’t think I’d be any good at it.” Crazy.

What’s truly ridiculous about my “yes, but” is that I had never even seen the improv group perform! I didn’t really know what improv comedy was, but I knew it wasn’t right for me. Like I said, I can be dense.

Matt, however, was an annoyingly persistent guy (thank goodness for that). He kept suggesting it to me, and every time he did, I would brush him off with a “no,” or a resounding, “yes, but.”

Finally, in a stroke of either sheer absurdity or sheer brilliance, he maneuvered me into going to see a show. It was almost like a romantic comedy; his friend was coming into town for a weekend, but Matt was busy Saturday night. Matt asked if I could hang with his friend so he wouldn’t be bored. Being a good guy, I said, “sure,” after which Matt slyly mentioned that the improv group happened to be having a show that night and we should go see it. Sneaky bastard…

We went to see the improv show, and within just a few minutes, I was hooked! I loved it, and really wanted to give it a try. When they held auditions a month later I tried out, got in, and improv has been a part of my life ever since.

To say that my life would be different if I had not finally said, “Yes, And” to auditioning for that improv group would be a gross understatement. I cannot imagine what my life would be like. In truth, I don’t even want to imagine what my life would be like.

All because I finally stopped saying “yes, but” and said, “Yes, And.”

Everything YOU Have is a Result of Saying “Yes, And”

I am not trying to brag when I say that everything I have came from saying, “Yes, And.” If you think about it, everything you have is a result of saying, “Yes, And” too.

Try this exercise: Take a piece of paper and draw a line vertically down the middle of it. On the left side, write down everything you have accomplished, everything you are good at, and everything you are proud of. On the right side, right down everything you wish you had done, everything you would like to be better at, and everything you consider a “failure.”

Got your lists done? Good.

If you look at the left side of the page, you’ll see that everything there came about because you said, “Yes, And.” The right side of the page, the side of limitations, came about (or didn’t come about) because you said, “yes, but.”

You’ve already learned this lesson. Now it’s time to apply it.

***
Thanks!
Avish

P.S. Remember – the book goes live tomorrow, February 28th! Buy a copy on that day and get over $200 of bonuses! www.SayYesAnd.com

About

By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

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