[andyexeter]

“Say Yes more. The people without passion are the ones who always say no. But the happiest people are the ones who understand that good things occur when one allows them to.”

From the brilliant book “Yes Man”, by Danny Wallace.

[dinkblam]

Sorry, but awful advice. Being afraid of saying "No" and feeling compelled to say "Yes" all the time and trying to make everyone except yourself happy is the worst way to life your life. Been there, done that, won't go there again.

[vladvasiliu]

I don't think it's a question of "feeling compelled to say yes", or even being afraid to say no.

To me, the advice is more like "be open to new experiences / be willing to take a chance on the unknown". That doesn't mean you should always say yes to everyone because you're afraid of what they might think of you / might not like you / you owe them anything / etc.

[andyexeter]

You’ve misinterpreted the advice :) It’s not about being compelled to say yes all the time to make others happy, it’s about saying yes _more_ to make yourself happy.

As an example, a work friend of mine invited me to a house party once at their shared house, there were a lot of people going but I didn’t know any of them except her. My instinctive reaction was to say “thanks, but no thanks”, but I decided to take a gamble and say yes.

I ended up having a really good evening, and I met some really great people who I now consider to be friends of my own. All because I took a gamble and said yes to something I’d typically say no to.

[zoover2020]

Did you watch "Yes Man" starring Jim Carry? This is the exact plot conclusion you're describing.