As well as learning to say no to certain things, I have had to learn to say yes to some things. This does not mean that I say yes to every single one of these things every time I have the opportunity, but I say yes to them more often than I used to, which was just about never. Here are 5 things that I have learned to say yes to. 

1. Screen time limits on my phone. Do you struggle with being on your phone way more than you want to be on it? When I got my current phone, it came with the setting turned on where it tells me my average screen time at the end of each week. At first, I hated seeing that notification pop up every week, but then I started using it as a challenge to try to get my screen time down from what it typically was. Now, I have set up screen time limits that give me a warning when I have reached the limit that I had set. It is unfortunately way too easy to ignore that warning, but it still has drastically lowered my screen time averages. It is always a personal challenge for me to not hit that limit each day and it makes me more aware of how long I am spending on social media or playing a game.

2. Meal prepping each week. A couple weeks ago, I mentioned how easy it makes it on my work days to already have my meals prepped and ready to go. On top of that, meal prepping is such a productive way to spend time at the beginning of each week. It helps me make sure that I will be eating better food and spending less money than if I were to get take out every day. It also saves time and energy when I am getting ready in the mornings because I know exactly what I need to grab and do not have to worry about what I have available to bring with me.

3. Wearing a cute outfit just because. I used to save cute outfits for special days or special events and always just wear super basic outfits in my day to day life. To be fair, I still often wear super basic outfits on a regular basis (I do work with a child and have to dress accordingly). However, I have learned that I do not need a special occasion to dress up and feel cute. Sometimes a fun outfit can make an ordinary day feel more fun and special.

4. Using my points at coffee shops instead of just saving them up for no reason. Anyone else love racking up points and then get sad thinking about using them up? That is totally the way I used to view the points I would rack up on various coffee shop apps, despite knowing that my points would get me a free drink or a discount on a modification. I have since realized that I appreciate a free drink every so often much more than I like looking at my app and seeing so many points on my account. Sometimes I do still save up my points, but I do it with the goal of being able to get 2 or 3 free drinks in a row and that makes me so much happier than if I just let my points build up with no intention of ever using them.

5. Letting other people pay for my meal/drink when they offer. As someone who likes to be self-sufficient as much as possible, I have always felt funny when someone else has offered to pay for my food or drink. It almost feels like they think I can’t afford it, even though I know they just want to be nice. As I have gotten older and have more ability to do that for others, I have come to truly appreciate it when someone offers to pay for me. And it usually comes at just the right times, too. Yesterday, I was going to my local coffee shop to get some work done and meet a friend, but I had already spent a lot more money than I had planned earlier in the day. I forgot to bring my gift card and knew that I did not have enough points to get a free drink, so I was dreading buying that $5 drink. Right as I walked in, I saw someone I know who was just taking a work break to order some food and offered to buy my drink. If that was not a God moment, I don’t know what is! I hesitated for a second, but ultimately accepted and was so thankful for that blessing for the rest of the day.

What are some things that you have learned to say yes to? I would love to hear how that one simple word has brought more joy or peace into your life! 

Abbi