If it's not a Hell Yeah, it's a NO!

Sure thing! No probs! Of course! Happy to help! The word ‘yes’ easily rolls off the tongue in a million agreeable ways. But what if we told you that, contrary to everything the world has taught you so far, saying yes isn’t actually the key to winning at life? In fact, it might just be holding you back.

- Penny Carroll

It started with a royal interview, of all things. Meghan Markle, holding back tears, quietly telling a reporter that yes, she was surviving the rollercoaster ride of public life but she wasn’t happy. “It’s not enough just to survive something,” she said earnestly. “That’s not the point of life. You’ve got to thrive.”

Apart from a fondness for handsome redheads, I have little in common with the actress-turned-duchess. And yet, her words kept ringing in my ears. They would echo especially loudly whenever I felt overwhelmed after a long day at work, and my lunch break or workout or family time had been bumped, again, to the bottom of the to-do list. So, when a few months later the couple said a polite but firm “no, thank you” to their job as senior royals, I fist-pumped the air. In one brave move, they gave all of us permission to decline, even in the face of overwhelming pressure to keep showing up.