Affirmative Today

At 11:00 AM, a coworker asked if he wanted to lead the afternoon brainstorm for the new marketing campaign—a task Elias usually dodged by pretending to be intensely interested in his stapler.

Elias looked at the subway entrance—the path to his quiet, predictable apartment. Then he looked at the park, where the evening light was turning the trees to gold. "Affirmative." affirmative

It started as a psychological experiment suggested by a friend: for twenty-four hours, Elias had to say "Yes" to every reasonable invitation. No hesitations, no excuses. At 11:00 AM, a coworker asked if he

Should there be a he has to face with his new attitude? "Affirmative

By 6:00 PM, the exhaustion of being "open" was setting in. He was walking toward the subway when a young woman with a cello case and a frantic expression stopped him.