This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WellYes2018 #CollectiveBias Personal family photos in this post by Madyson Floyd.
This year I’m changing how I feel about saying, “yes.” For the past few years I have focused on saying, “no,” more often. If it wasn’t a big yes, then it wasn’t going to be a yes at all. If you’ve ever attended a business conference or a workshop on time management, you’ve heard this too. Only commit to the things you feel passionately about and learn how to say, “no,” without an explanation. I’m an extrovert and always jump in wildly with enthusiasm. I love new experiences and challenges. Even at my busiest, I wake up earlier than anyone in my home feeling optimistic and happy about the day ahead. I’m a risk taker and like the thrill of trying new things. I give with my whole heart and enjoy wrapping presents more than anyone I’ve ever known. Unfortunately five years ago I had an experience that fully changed me and took away that spark. I no longer saw only the good and consequently made more cautious decisions. My entire social circle changed and I closed many doors. It’s taken me quite awhile to bounce back but I finally feel that past is behind me and I can focus on being the true me. My tips for the new year are all about saying, “yes,” and embracing new again. Well Yes!® Soups are helping me to use my time on myself and empowering me to enjoy new friendships. It’s a “Soup in the Right Direction®” and definitely part of my journey changing how I feel about saying, “yes.”
We just moved into a new home and my daughters are thriving with new friendships. We really couldn’t have made a better decision to move to our cul-de-sac street full of amazing families. We feel at home and it’s been a very easy transition for our oldest daughter who was very reluctant to leave the only neighborhood she’s known.
For six years our oldest daughter was an only child and for many years I thought she might never have the opportunity to be a big sister. When she was born I joined mom groups and made many new friends. We spent everyday at the library, play dates or on our own adventures to the aquarium or zoo. Her first years were full of so much joy surrounded by many friends. When she was just three years old, just after I had came home from the SNAP conference in Utah, I was sent to the hospital to have my appendix removed when an emergency room nurse asked if I was aware that I was pregnant. Instead of an emergency appendectomy, I went home with the news our daughter was going to be a big sister. It wasn’t the way we would have shared the early news with our daughter. My husband was traveling for work that day and she was sitting on my lap at the hospital waiting for my dad to arrive to take her home when the nurse shared the news. The pregnancy ended with a late miscarriage and I’ll never forget the expression on my three year old daughter’s face when she said, “It’s okay mommy, you were going to have a baby and now we’re not.” The loss was not easy and really affected me in more ways than simply not having a new baby in the house. During that pregnancy, I didn’t have the energy or enthusiasm to give so much of my time to my friends. Because of a medical mistake, following the miscarriage it took much longer than normal for my hormones to balance and consequently, I was an emotional mess. I felt unsupported and lost many friends during that challenging time. I closed the doors to everyone outside of my immediate family and had no desire to be a part of the close group I had known since my daughter was born. I did have a few isolated friendships that I still value very much but for the most part, I simply walked away from my everyday life we had known. Our days were no longer filled with playdates and we refocused making family more important than ever. The healing process was long and I no longer was excited to meet anyone new. I was afraid of new friendships and told myself I was better off on my own.
Three years later, on big sister’s first day of kindergarten, we had big news. I was pregnant! Our daughter was elated and couldn’t wait to be a big sister.
Little sister is now two years old and adds so much joy to our home. She only sees the good in everything and is such a happy child. She reminds me that it’s okay to only see the rainbows and butterflies.
Moving into our new home I was so surprised by the sincere kindness in our new neighbors. There is an entire street of friends that genuinely care about each other. The women are a tribe of friends that plan girls nights, host crafting parties in their garages, go to the movies together and lift each other up with support everyday. From the very first day here, they welcomed me into their very close group in the neighborhood. Feeling reluctant because this is my first time opening myself up to new friends in a very long time, I feel rejuvenated. I feel like myself again and it reminded me how all women need that support system. My closest friends don’t live near me so I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like. But now, I have this wonderful group of women that have brought back my everyday enthusiasm more than they will ever know. I’m taking the time to foster those friendships and saying, “yes,” more often. That means I sometimes have spontaneous nights where cooking is just not an option. Instead of turning to take out, a few of our favorite Well Yes!® Soups are making more appearances on our dinner table.
Chicken Noodle, Italian Vegetables with Farro, and Roasted Chicken Wild Rice are all loved in our home but there are many more Well Yes! varieties to choose from. Well Yes® is helping women say yes to deliciously crafted food, with real nutritious ingredients, so she has what she needs to say yes in the rest of her life.
Enter the Official Sponsor of Yes! Sweepstakes for a chance to win up to a $500 VISA gift card! It’s as easy as clicking, logging in, and sharing your Moment of Yes story! If you win, think of all the ways you can use the prizing to achieve your Moment of Yes!
#WellYes2018 #Sweepstakes (1/15 to 2/16)
My “Moments of Yes” are all about opening doors I previously might have chosen to keep closed. Every strong woman knows she can’t do it all by herself and this year I’m making sure I say, “yes,” more often.
Taking care of yourself is about so much more than just making good food choices. Adequate sleep, exercise and embracing a great group of friends is how I plan to make changes this year. Well Yes!® Soups are making these changes feel easy. The soups are made with nutritious ingredients, like chicken meat with no antibiotics, sweet potatoes, kale, and quinoa. The unique flavors crafted with care brings a new definition to canned soup.
The next time you hear a speaker remind an audience to learn how to say, “no,” please remember that saying, “yes,” is just as important.
Tips for the New Year
- Make eight hours of sleep each night a priority.
- Exercise consistently for overall wellness.
- Eat food with nutritious ingredients.
- Welcome new friendships.
Well Yes! Chicken Noodle is full of veggies and so much more than the traditional can of chicken noodle soup.
Save on your next soup purchase with these Well Yes!® coupons.
It feels like it was a long road to get to this point but our daughter is the best big sister and we couldn’t be more happy with our family of four. Add in our new home in a neighborhood full of a wonderful group of new friends and our year is off to a great start!
Have you had your “moment of Yes” this year yet?
Learn more about Well Yes!® Soups by connecting with the brand on Instagram and Facebook. Read more inspirational stories about moments of Yes then share yours in the comments.
Thank you for sharing your story and how we should be saying yes more. I know I find myself saying no to my kids a lot, and this year one of my goals is to say yes more often. Yes to the late night ice cream run or the silly little things that make them smile.
I have such a hard time with new friendships too but I always feel better after a night out with the girls. #client
I love your yes moments. I’m an introvert, and new friendships are so hard. I belong to a great group of homeschoolers, since I homeschool my daughter. I’ve had to learn to say yes to a lot of gatherings that I’m not really comfortable in.
Yes is so important. It’s hard sometimes to recover from life kicking us down but taking the time to heal is so important and being open to the opportunity is the best part. Now your ready to say yes again and it’ll be an amazing experience.
Saying “yes” can be hard, especially at the end of a tiring day but there are so many memories and laughs that come out of that three letter word. Thank you for your writing !
I definitely need to work on saying Yes more. Especially to my kids for certain things, things that in the past I may have shut down too quickly. I realize that I have worked so hard on saying No, as it wasn’t something that I often did, that I let some things fall by the wayside. I love that you found a neighborhood with a great group of families. I find that is hard to come by. Thanks for sharing this. It reminded me I need to learn to say “Yes” more.
I always hear the say no more speeches, but I never really bought into that. Life is supposed to be experienced! I think we all just need to know our limits, say yes when we can, and no when it’s just too much.
This made me tear up! I’m so sorry for your loss. I agree that the “if it’s not a big yes it’s a no” advice doesn’t always work. I followed it for too long, and it didn’t get me anywhere. I limited myself way too much and it definitely carried over into my personal life! For me, even in business, I feel like a better strategy is, “if it feels right, do it.” I say yes so much more now and I’m so much happier and so much more of myself gets to shine because of it.
That’s why we say yes to all the nutritious ingredients in that soup. It is deliciously crafted with purposeful and nutritious ingredients,
These soups are so good. I love the tomato carrot. We have a large age gap because of losses and it made starting the whole mommy group thing over a little hard.
Thanks for sharing your story! I love being able to feel the genuine emotion of the writer when I am reading posts. This soup looks delicious and way better than the current soups I am eating. I will definitely be trying these out. The chicken noodle looks amazing. Thanks for sharing your story and being vulnerable with your audience. You rock!
You have such a powerful story! Thank you so much for being open and vulnerable because I know so many women that feel like they’re totally alone going through something like this!
Your story is so sad, but it is absolutely amazing how you overcame in such a positive way! You should be very proud of yourself, thank you for sharing <3
I’m so glad y’all are embracing change this year!! I still live in the same house I have for all my 19 years, so I’m proud of your daughter for handling the move so well!
The Yes! soups are some of my favs. I just adore the Minestrone and Corn Chowder. They taste so fresh it makes me want to yes more often.
I started taking a daily vitamin this year and I am so proud that I have kept it up! It’s making a huge difference in the way I feel and I don’t know why staying consistent has been difficult in the past. Little changes add up!
Yum! I’ve tried their chicken noodle soup but I didn’t know there had so many other soups! I can’t wait to try them! Especially with the cold weather we’re having today!
I’m definately saying yes to Yes Noodles soup! It looks so delicious. I loved how you tied say Yes to things we are passionate about with this post! so lovely
soup is my favorite meal in the winter months! It is completely comfort food!
What a great post. Very well said. Sometimes saying “YES” is so hard, especially if we are tired from day to day. But this noodle soup looks delicious.
I have always been told to say no unless it’s something I will have enough time for, or was going to benefit me. I have learned that’s really not how I should be. I have been saying yes more and living a much happier and more positive life.