JUST SAY YES: IMPROVISING YOUR LIFE

In the world of improvisational theater, there's no script, and advance planning is of little use, because the actors never know quite what will happen once they step on stage. It sounds a little bit like life, doesn't it? In fact, our efforts to create and follow a reliable script for our futures might actually be one of the reasons things often don't work out the way we'd hoped. Patricia Madson draws on the principles of improvisational theater to approach life with a willingness to pay attention to whatever life presents, and to say yes to the unexpected. "Yes can be a really good answer more of the time than you might imagine. It can open up a possibility. It's easy to say no. No doesn't require us to act. Saying yes can get us into trouble, but it's just as likely to bring us great adventures." In fact, Ms. Madson finds that when we throw out many of the rules we thought we simply must live by, the things that too often stifle our spontaneity and creativity, we'll find our lives are more authentic, more effective, and a lot more fun. (Hosted by Bec Kageyama)