Say yes in Los Angeles.

If saying yes is the new black and then color me gothic.

I am swiftly leaving the "no" behind, in favor of giving everything and everyone a fair chance. Snap-judgements, crippling anxiety and a tendency to go full on hermit are all on hold, because the time has come to say yes to living!

Once a heavy drinker of hater-ade, my pallet has has been cleansed.

In the past I have worn the "too cool" mask, hiding a shy, inhibited, worried, overthinking girl, who would rather stand in the corner alone than attempt to fit in. Because coming off as cold, uninterested and detached, seemed far better than being rejected for being awkward, strange and lame.

Stuck in the world of "no," I was bouncing between negative-leaning oblivion and hyper-aware self-consciousness, but neither is the proper mindset for a successful twenty-something in Los Angeles.

The best part about converting to a life of saying "yes" is the feeling of empowerment that comes swelling forth as you take control over your burgeoning social life. The more you say yes, the more you wonder why you never had. This I've found is especially true, in a city like LA.

Los Angeles is a strange place, because everyone who comes here, comes here from somewhere else and they come here with a dream. While the same can be said about Manhattan, it is a glossier, shinier, dreamier dreamer that makes their way to the entertainment capitol. And in a city of such dreamers, there comes an unspoken sense of unity; that we're all in this dreamworld together. We all abandoned the "no, I can't," when we moved to this infamous and intimidating town and we're going to say yes to every exciting adventure that may come our way while we're here.

Saying yes to going out, to talking to strangers, to moving to a new neighborhood or going to dinner and a movie alone, isn't as scary when you realize everyone else is just forcing themselves to get over it and say yes too.

Basically, if you don't stay home stewing in your insecurities, no one will notice you have them. These days I am putting that to use, making the most of single life in the city and loving it. If I stay home on any given night now, it's because I needed some "me time" to read a book or catch up on some crap TV, not because I was too afraid to venture out.

I've learned that saying yes, isn't such a challenge when you forget that it ever was.