Why Saying ‘Yes’ Changes Everything

Sometimes, the biggest breakthroughs in life don’t begin with careful planning or perfect timing. They begin with one tiny word—yes. Just one word can shift your entire path, open doors you never expected, and launch dreams that once felt impossible. But too often, fear, doubt, or hesitation lead us to say no. We pass on opportunities because we’re not ready or don’t feel qualified. In Success in 7 Steps, Dierdre Wolownick shows us that saying “yes” to life—even when we’re doubtful—is one of the most powerful tools for achieving our goals. Dierdre didn’t just write about saying yes—she lived it. She became the oldest woman to climb El Capitan at age 66, started a community orchestra from scratch, wrote and published multiple books, and built a speaking career—all by saying yes to unexpected invitations and moments. Her journey proves that we don’t need to have all the answers before we begin. We just need to be open to the next step.

In her book, Dierdre describes life as a network of cosmic circles—people, events, and opportunities that collide in unexpected ways. When these circles bump into one another, magic happens. But only if we say yes. “Saying yes when your cosmic circles collide with others can be the difference between accomplishing your dream and just dreaming about it,” she writes. That’s the heart of this idea: dreams don’t just come true through effort—they often begin with agreement, permission, and willingness. It was a series of what looked like random decisions to say yes that led Dierdre to become a published author, a speaker, and a well-known figure in different fields. When her first publisher went out of business, she could have shelved the manuscript. Instead, she said yes to self-publishing—despite knowing nothing about it at the time. She didn’t wait to be ready; she trusted herself to figure it out. That’s the difference between stagnation and momentum. And it starts with yes.

One of the most limiting beliefs people carry is the idea that they must be fully prepared before starting something new. In Success in 7 Steps, Dierdre flips this thinking on its head. Her method encourages us to begin where we are, with what we know, and trust that learning will follow. When you say yes to a challenge, you also say yes to growth. That doesn’t mean diving in blindly. Dierdre’s 3-part system—what you need to know, what you need to have, what you need to do—offers a simple, repeatable method for tackling any dream. But before you even begin that structure, something else must happen: you must say yes to the idea in the first place. When she accepted her first podcast interview, she didn’t even know what a podcast was. She didn’t let that stop her. That one yes led to more than 50 podcast appearances, opening up a new platform to share her message with the world. The point is, success often follows commitment—not the other way around.

Another reason saying yes matters so much is that it keeps you in motion. Dierdre stresses that momentum is a critical part of progress. “On days when you can’t give 100%, give 20%, or even 5%—but never give 0%.” That quote embodies the principle that forward movement, however small, builds confidence and leads to results. And it all begins with deciding to engage. Deciding to show up. Saying yes. Momentum isn’t about big leaps. It’s about being consistent, especially when it’s hard. Saying yes to writing one page, running one mile, learning one new skill, or making one phone call starts the chain reaction. Small actions compound over time—and before you know it, you’re doing things you once thought were impossible.

There’s a strong psychological shift that happens when you say yes to something that scares or challenges you. You start discovering parts of yourself you didn’t know existed. In the book, Dierdre shares how many of her greatest accomplishments were born from unlikely beginnings. She didn’t feel like a climber when she first stepped on the wall. She didn’t feel like a conductor when she stood in front of her orchestra for the first time. But saying yes revealed what she was capable of. This kind of self-discovery is one of the greatest rewards of goal-setting. “You have to know who you are,” she writes, “because your success depends on it.”

Of course, saying no is sometimes necessary. We all need boundaries. But too often, we say no not because we’re protecting our time—but because we’re protecting our comfort zone. Dierdre warns against letting fear be the voice that answers your dreams. Fear says no. Doubt says no. But growth almost always begins where comfort ends. If you always say no to things that feel new or uncertain, you’re also saying no to possibilities. To magic. To meaning. The only way to build the life you secretly long for is to welcome the chances when they come. Not when they’re perfect. When they appear.

Like success itself, saying yes is not something you’re born knowing how to do—it’s something you learn. The more you practice it, the easier it becomes. The trick, as Dierdre shows, is not to wait until you feel ready, but to get comfortable with starting before the full picture is clear.

In her words: “Once you start thinking this way, there are no limits. That’s the exhilarating side-effect of this concept: once you truly accept it, your life has no limits!”