Man, Yes Man

Saturday, January 17th, 2009
by AllieFord

Recently, a new movie, “Yes Man” starring Jim Carrey, opened in theaters. This is not a review of the movie, rather a review of the idea behind it. Carrey plays Carl Allen, a man who always said no. He said no to invitations, no to friends, even no to his boss, but things get better after Carrey goes to a “Yes” conference, led by Terrence Bundley, played by actor Terence Stamp. While at the conference, Carl learns that, if he does not begin to say yes to everything, and I mean everything, bad things will happen.

When he begins to say yes, Carl learns that he has been missing out on life. He learns Korean, learns to fly a plane, and even falls in love after being heartbroken. However, when his love interest, Allison, learns that he had to say yes, things seem to take a turn for the worse. Don’t worry, everything works out in the end, but enough about the movie, let’s look into the “Yes” theory a little more.

So what is this movie teaching the people who see it about life? You should never miss out on things because you’re nervous or tired, or because you just don’t feel like it. Even if you don’t know it at the time, you could be missing out on something great. If Carl had not begun to say yes, how would he have turned his life around the way he did? Before, his best friend’s fiancé hated him, he was at risk of getting fired from his job, and he was divorced. The worst thing about it, though, is that he was fine with the way his life was going.

Carl was much happier once he opened his eyes and began taking risks. Now that isn’t to say that you should immediately jump off of a bridge after reading this article, but at least think about trying something new. Risk taking is a part of life; you should not go through life taking the easy way out. Although it may seem like it’s a good way to go about your life, you will never really experience all of the exciting things the world has to offer if you do.

There are plenty of safe ways to take risks that can change a person’s life. For example, do as Carl did and take a new language, not only will it open up job opportunities, but it will also present a lot of travel possibilities you may not have felt comfortable with before, unsure of how to communicate with the natives of any given country. Try out a new hobby, like jet skiing, not only is it fun, it is also exhilarating. Eat something different, like, dare I say it, snails. Or, for something a bit more exciting, do what Carl and Allison did, go to the airport and ask for a ticket on the next available flight, no matter where it may be going.

There are so many doors the word “yes” can open for you; all you have to do is find the courage in yourself to walk through them.

Photo Credit: (michelle)

Photo Credit: It’sGreg

Popularity: 9% [?]