YES MONTH part two by Guest Blogger Sarah H.

Sarah Hamilton is back with more on her adventures as a woman who says YES to life. Sarah is a lovely and compassionate woman and foxy mama. Go here to read part one.

PART TWO

The next week, I got an evite for an industry party from a beloved New York friend. It was on a weeknight. On a rooftop. Downtown.  In any other month, this would have been a resounding Not on Your Life. But I put on lipstick, set the GPS for Hipsterville, and paid $20 to park. I ended up schmoozing with some business bigwigs, seeing one of my favorite people in the world, and leaving with a purse filled with pink macaroons, ostensibly for my daughter. Not a bad night.

The bigwig schmoozing led to an invite for a small private screening of Alice in Wonderland. Fun, right? Yes, but it was on a weeknight and, even worse, an hour drive away in Burbank—two factors that would have kept it out of my Outlook pre-Yes Month.  After sitting bumper to bumper until 3 minutes before show time, I was almost regretting my decision to say yes, but then walked in the door to find several good friends and free cheese. As a bonus, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie too.

Now this might not be rocket science, but I’ve concluded that accepting invitations begets other invitations. Because once I started, the offers started to pour in:

  

Will you be a judge in our marketing competition?

Yes.

Will you help paint an inner-city school on Saturday?

Yes.

Will you have an informational interview with someone you don’t have the money to hire?

Yes.

Will you put on a party dress and have drinks at the Roosevelt?

Of course.

Will you sneak away to Ojai for a romantic spa night?

Duh.

Will you join a dodgeball group with your boss and coworkers?

No. (sue me. I like my face.)

Will you dress as a cheerleader and cheer the dodgeball team?

Sigh. OK.

And I’ve found that I start to dread each “Yes” less and less, because there’s always something good that comes out of it.  Heck, Yes Month convinced me to write this very blurb you’re reading. Writing for pleasure? Unheard of!

There’s no doubt that adding events to my already-packed schedule nearly caused a Blackberry implosion— but because the things I did were fun, it felt like I had actually eliminated some of my stress.

I plan on extending my Month of Yes indefinitely, as long as my husband will tolerate it.  So next time you want to take a karate lesson, go to the Hollywood Bowl, eat five different kinds of Grilled Cheese, sing karaoke, or play catch— try me. I’ll probably say Yes.

Sarah Hamilton is a mom and VP at E! and Style Networks. Yes, she is available for private parties.