Broaden Your World by Just Saying Yes

COS COB, Conn. – We feel empowered and excited when we do things that challenge us. And it’s all too easy to get stuck in a rut, and by accident, watch our worlds get smaller and smaller. Chicken Soup for the Soul noticed that its writers were fighting this impulse and using the power of “yes” to broaden their worlds—at all ages. (In fact, the publisher received so many excellent submissions for their 2023 book about getting outside your comfort zone that they made two books!)

“That’s how this new book came about,” says Amy Newmark, publisher and editor-in-chief of the iconic series. “We saw so many stories from our contributors about challenging themselves to step outside their comfort zones, face their fears, and try new things. They reported how those experiences led to even more new things and a more meaningful life. Stepping outside their comfort zones, hitting the road, starting second careers, and embarking on every kind of adventure are the tales these excited writers tell in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Just Say Yes (July 16, 2024, 978-1-611591149, $16.99).

This new Chicken Soup for the Soul collection is bound to inspire everyone who reads it. Whether they’re looking for love or a new career, overcoming shyness or a phobia, spicing up their lives with new foods or reaching out to make new friends, traveling alone or going on that scary roller coaster, they’ll find kindred spirits in these pages. Even the ten chapter titles carry positive messages and excellent advice: Be Bold; Let Yourself Trust; Give of Yourself; Trust Your Instincts; Take a Chance; Embrace Change; Connect with Someone; Do It Afraid; Rise to the Challenge; and Don’t “Act Your Age.”

“What I love about this book is that saying ‘yes’ is something that 100% of us can do,” says Newmark. “How many self-help projects are that easy? It takes only one second to make a decision to start experiencing life to the fullest by using the power of yes.”

That’s what Anne Foley Rauth did. She was turning 55 and felt she was stuck in a rut. So she decided to do 55 new things in the next 52 weeks. She says, “By little actions throughout the year, my attitude greatly improved. Each week was a new adventure, and I had a much more positive outlook on life.” Alice Facente made a resolution in the same vein when she moved from Connecticut to California and was worried about how she would meet people. She made it her mission to connect with one new person each day, and she kept it up even during the Covid lockdown, saying that it turned out be a lot of fun.

ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL

Chicken Soup for the Soul publishes the famous Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. With well over 100 million books sold to date in the U.S. and Canada, more than 300 titles, and translations into more than 40 languages, the phrase “chicken soup for the soul” is known worldwide and is regularly referenced in pop culture. Today, 31 years after it first began sharing happiness, inspiration and hope through its books, this socially conscious company continues to publish a new title a month. It has also evolved beyond the bookstore, with a podcast, education programs, dog and cat food, and licensed products.

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For a review copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Just Say Yes or an interview with Amy Newmark: