I’m keeping this article up, but the public experiment is over. The Facebook giveaways are still going on though. Still saying yes to people who don’t know I will say yes.
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The idea of Radical Inclusion, which I’m about to reveal, was spurred by 2 things:
1) The concept of Radical Exclusion where you say no or shut out almost everything. Chris Guillebeau talks a little bit about it in his world-changing book The Art of Non-Conformity.
and
2) 4-5 years ago I read a book called “Yes, Man” about a guy who says yes to everything. Then I did a half-assed attempt at saying yes to everything. (The book was turned into a lame movie.)
Not this week.
This week (the next 7 days), every request of my time gets a yes. What this means is, my time in the next 7 days. Not in the future.
Want to interview me? Cool.
Want to talk on Skype? Cool.
Want to take me out to lunch? ;) Cool.
Have an extra ticket to a Pistons game and want me to join you? Yes.
Don’t have a ticket to the Pistons game but want me to take you? Yes.
Want me to comment on your blog? Cool.
If somebody local asks me to hang out? Yes, yes, yes.
Update: 6:35pm Thursday. See those requests up there? All cool and kind and nice. Not greedy and insulting. For the next 7 days I will say “yes” to *everybody* who doesn’t know about this experiment. I will also say yes to cool requests like the ones above. I will not say yes to commands. “Go do this” is bullshit and if that’s your request please stop reading this site. We’re not meant to be.
How do you know if your question is “cool”? Simple: would you ask it normally of anybody or myself even if you might get a no? If the answer is “yes, but I’m afraid to ask” then it’s probably all good. If the answer is “no, I just want to be your master” then it’s not all good and please stop reading this site. :)
How this will work:
From the time this post goes live until exactly 7 days from now (when I leave for BlogWorld) I’m going to say yes to every request that comes through my facebook fan page, comments on this post, or in-person.
Bonus Facebook Page Yes, Yes, Yes Giveaway!
Go to the new (and very bare) RidiculouslyExtraordinary.com Facebook Fan Page, “Like” it, make a request, and WIN! ;)
Every day for the next 7 days I’m giving away one copy of Yes, Man along with one of my other favorite life changing books. (You can choose between Kindle or paperback versions.)
To kick it off, today I’m giving away Yes, Man and The Art of Non-Conformity (personally signed by Chris Guillebeau!).
What Kind of Request Can You Make?
Nothing is stupid. Almost nothing is off limits.
The only caveat is if I say yes to something I can’t say yes to something else that takes place during the first thing’s time frame. Unfortunately, I still haven’t figured out how to be in more than one place at once. But you can bet I have a hardcore group of scientists working on that little issue. ;)
I’ll be working through the requests as best as I can.
I expect 1 of 2 things will happen:
1) I won’t receive a lot of requests. This is a strong possibility because maybe this doesn’t seem real. Or maybe you’re letting fear get in the way of making a request. I can’t do anything about that.
or
2) I’ll get so many requests that I won’t even be able to read through them all.
Either way, I’ll let you know how it goes …
Head over to the RidiculouslyExtraordinary.com Fan Page and “Like” it right here.