Yes and No are elemental forces animating our lives.
Positive and negative. Approach and avoid. Attachment and aversion. Love and fear. Open and closed. Like and dislike.
Too much Yes and we don't manage risks well and struggle to get things done.
Too much No and we're uninspired and joyless. Skeptical and questioning of everything and everyone.
To live well we must calibrate these forces to what a situation calls for.
The force of Yes gets us to try new things, experiment, dream, connect, love.
The force of No protects us, keeps us focused, holds boundaries, cuts through delusion.
As you read are you nodding along in agreement or being critical? Which force is stronger?
We begin (again and again) with noticing our automatic reaction. Yes and No will arise in us without any conscious effort.
Someone starts talking and we are automatically judging and criticizing them.
Or we immediately agree and put them on a pedestal.
Observe what Yes is like. In your thinking. In your feelings. In your body.
Likewise, how does No exist in you?
Inspired vision. Loving joyful connection. Clear and skillful risk management. Powerful execution and achievement of results.
A well-developed person brings all of these to the table.
They do so by mediating Yes and No.