Nothing Will Stand in the Way of Yes

Title: Just Say Yes! Choosing a Life of Kindness, Clarity, and Connection
By: Sarah Pachter
Urim Publications
330 pages

Rabbi Yisroel Majeski shares a beautiful story in a video called Meaningful Minute.

A Rebbe once asked his student, “Who is the holiest Jew that ever existed?”

The Chassid answered, “Avraham Avinu, of course! He discovered G-d.”

The Rebbe asked another student, “What was the holiest time period of all?”

“When the Jewish nation received the Torah at Har Sinai.”

He asked a third Chassid, “What is the holiest place in the entire world?”

“The Kodesh Kedoshim, Holy of Holies, in the Beis HaMikdash.”

The Rebbe responded, “You are all wrong. The holiest person is you. The holiest time is right now. The holiest place is here.”

The above is an excerpt from Just Say Yes! which embodies the ideas of living in the here and now, striving to be the best person you can be.

A compendium of ideas for growth through embracing positivity and possibility, Just Say Yes! is a treasure-trove of individual ideas and suggestions, culled from spiritual and (l’havdil) psychological literature which individually and together can create a better life – physically, emotionally, spiritually, and interpersonally. It is a step-by-step self-actualization manual filled with age old and new age wisdom, replete with inspiring true personal stories and anecdotes, insights and fresh perspective.

“With a treasury of anecdotes, poignant quotations, and vital rabbinic references, the book is supremely wise and reader friendly. Reading Just Say Yes! is an inspiration; living it is a transformation,” says Rabbi Hanoch Teller.

Sarah Pachter combines her decades of experience as a writer, speaker, teacher, wife, and mother to give us the best advice for reaching our milestones and miracles and following the path to greatness.

Pachter intertwines common wisdom, psychological perspectives, spiritual tenets and inspiring vignettes, anyone can relate to, to create a strategic game plan for success in its deepest, and most meaningful sense.

Each of the many topics is covered from a fresh perspective with a roadmap to success of the most universal kind.

A week before my son’s bar mitzvah, a friend shared the following advice, “Know that something is going to go wrong or won’t match your expectations. If you want to enjoy the event, decide beforehand that nothing will stand in the way of your happiness that night.”

Her advice was spot on! Mishaps occur at every simcha (celebration). Our job is to decide whether we want to focus and ruminate on them, or move on and enjoy the event wholeheartedly. The decision to be happy during an event is, in a microcosm, choosing happiness for the longest event of all time: life.

Pachter delineates the three major types of relationships we have – with ourselves, with others, and with Hashem. She gives us salient advice in a user-friendly way for getting the most out of all three relationships by saying yes to challenges, saying yes to opportunities, saying yes to possibilities, and thereby saying yes to spiritual growth! Which is the key to success in every relationship.

Along with introspective wisdom, there are pithy affirmations which you will be well off adopting like:

When you expect something, then everything is nothing, but when you expect nothing, something is everything.

Or

You can do anything when you realize you are not the one doing anything.

But you can say yes, to buying this book. And I heartily recommend that you do.