While in Mexico on retreat I was treated to a wonderful lesson on my self-limiting behaviors. The lesson wasn’t imparted to me by a fellow yoga teacher or one of my students. Instead it came from a beautiful waiter (Manuel), who had a huge smile and even bigger heart.
Manuel exuded happiness in every way of the word. When a salsa song came on in the restaurant he would begin to dance around and take the hand of any willing partner. I hate to turn down a good time, so I readily accepted his invitation when it came my way.
His mantra throughout the week was “porque no?”, or “why not?”. Any time we would ask him for something, with a huge smile and shrug of his shoulders, he would recite his mantra of “porque no?”. Can I have another glass of wine? Porque no was his answer. Could I please order some chips and guacamole with that yummy fresh mango in it? Porque no?
His why not philosophy travelled out of the restaurant and into the lexicon of our group. It filtered into our lighter conversations of whether we should venture out onto the boogie boards to deeper conversations about changing careers, ending relationships, and getting a fresh start.
Porque no has literally changed my life.
After being treated to an amazing self-indulgent massage with one of the healers on staff, we sat together and talked about what was going on in my life. At the time I was still a workaholic and just teaching yoga part-time. I was still working on my yoga identity and didn’t see myself as a true teacher. During this conversation I told her that I would love to host a retreat there some day in the future. Her brilliant response was, “why not?”.
Different language but same message. Fast forward to the following winter as I sat in conversation with her again. This time I was there hosting my own yoga retreat. Her simple question of “why not” had led me to the introspection I needed in order to muster up the courage to believe in myself enough to take the leap into hosting a retreat.
As we sat across from each other during that retreat, I shared that I was considering purchasing a yoga studio and leaving behind my corporate life and identity. Again, her nonchalant but deeply powerful, “why not?” gave me all I needed to trust myself, trust the guidance I was receiving, and remember that sometimes decisions can be made as easily as simply asking yourself, “porque no?”.
What life experiences are you limiting yourself from having because you are stuck in the “why” instead of the “why not?”. Trust me when I say the next time you are faced with making a tough decision, ask yourself “porque no?”. Get a glimpse into the possibility and you might find yourself living the life of your dreams.