Chapter 1: What is a yes quest and how can it change your life?
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2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%, I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world.
Put yourself through some hardships and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person.
Listen to 2%, that's T-W-O percent on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good morning.
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Chapter 2: What are the benefits of stepping outside your comfort zone?
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is to go on a yes quest. If life is feeling a little underwhelming, you might challenge yourself to say yes a little more frequently. Many new opportunities come from being open to something that's a little outside our comfort zones.
Today's tip, like some others over the next few weeks, is from my new book, Big Time, A Simple Path to Time Abundance. This book, which is out May 5th, is about what happens when you truly believe time is big enough to accommodate what matters to you. With some smart strategies, it is possible to fall in love with your schedule. One of the tips from big time is to go on a yes quest.
I know that a lot of productivity literature talks about how we should say no more often.
Chapter 3: How can saying yes lead to new opportunities?
And there is something to that. I don't want people to spend their precious time on earth on things that are neither meaningful nor enjoyable for themselves and the people they care about. That said, if you think about it, almost all new opportunities, adventures, and relationships come out of a yes. After all, if you knew about something, you'd be doing it already.
Big breakthroughs come from trying things you don't know as much about, which means you have to be open to serendipity. New opportunities have to be able to reach you. So if you would like to shake things up in life a little, why not try going on your own yes quest? The idea is that for a certain period of time, say three weeks or a month, you say yes to things that sound intriguing to you.
If you have the money and you have the time, then you try it out. Even if it is not something you would naturally do.
Chapter 4: What personal experiences illustrate the power of saying yes?
When I tried this for a few weeks in the spring of 2025, I wound up saying yes to, among other things, swimming with sharks with my oldest child. Now, this was certainly a memorable experience. And as a bonus, we saw whales on the boat back to shore. Now, that was pretty cool. When I had 200 other people try this out, they had all sorts of interesting things happen.
People agreed to a meeting with someone new and walked out with job offers. People said yes to last-minute trips that were a total blast. People said yes to adventures with friends.
to meaningful volunteer opportunities to joining a choir even though they'd never sung in public before turns out singing with other people is a lot of fun and guess what you can learn to sing now you don't have to say yes forever and you don't have to say yes to everything
One person who went on a yes quest agreed to go volunteer at an animal shelter with their kid, but did not agree to get a second dog, despite the child making a full PowerPoint presentation about the benefits.
Chapter 5: How can a limited commitment to saying yes encourage exploration?
But I think one of the upsides of saying yes for a limited period of time is that it nudges us to try new things precisely because we know we are not adding things on forever. We are just trying it for a bit and seeing what comes of it. Few opportunities in life arrive gift-wrapped. They come when we have a conversation with someone new and follow up.
They come when we go to that extra event and meet someone fantastic. All of that requires saying yes. So by all means, say no to things you do not want to do. But if it sounds intriguing, try going on a yes quest for a while and you just might be surprised at what wonderful things start happening. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening.
Chapter 6: What final advice does the host give about embracing new experiences?
And here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at laura at lauravandercam.com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeart Media. For more podcasts from iHeart Media, please visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter, and on my podcast, 2%, I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world.
Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person.
Listen to 2%, that's T-W-O percent, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
On the Look Back At It podcast. 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.
Listen to Look Back At It on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.
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