This is not a sad story. This is my story.

On April 1st, 2014, I received the email. YES! I was accepted into Wilfrid Laurier University’s MBA Program (to my complete and total surprise and more than enough self-doubt).  Because of the nature of the day (April Fool’s), I hesitated to dance from the roof top just yet in case a mistake was made or someone was playing a practical joke. After a few days, I told my family the news!

Panic set in from that point forward. By accepting the offer, I was also accepting that I needed to reach out for help in dealing with depression.  Pursuing an MBA was a dream that I had filed in the back of my mind and it was also my last resort/thought on “if pursuing this dream doesn’t make me happy, then nothing will”. I had effectively given a 12-month expiration date to my last hope for getting out of depression. So after 13 years of struggling with depression, and 8 years of denying medication, I walked into my doctor’s office in June and asked for help dealing with my depression. I finally said yes to a prescription, I said yes to taking the steps needed to succeed and thus began my year of yes.

Fast forward to August. I traded in my steady paychecks for textbooks, and work schedule for a class schedule. School had begun.

Not long after, I found myself watching an alumni panel thinking “yes, I could run for MBA Student Association President.” Following my successful appointment to President, I submitted my application for the Communications Manager position on UWAFT’s EcoCAR 3 team and yes, I could do them both!  The MBASA and UWAFT each presented unique challenges, but both have enabled me to say yes to making lasting changes to the way they operate. They also presented incredible opportunities to say yes to new experiences, yes to networking, and yes to all the challenges. I, along with the executive council and managers, made a point to start paying it forward, to enable future years more opportunities to say yes.

It is now January, and I realize I have wholeheartedly immersed myself into the MBA program and my volunteer work, but that means any stray hope of being able to work and earn money for a part of this year has evaporated. Instead, I have said yes to enrolling in additional classes, and yes to the opportunity to launch my own business. I have also decided to say yes to launching this campaign and sharing my story with you.

Beyond simply paying off my year of saying 'yes', any funds beyond the goal will be re-purposed to enable others the opportunity to say yes. More than that, I want those dealing with depression to know they can say yes, too. Ending this year of yes with less debt or even zero debt means that I will commit and dedicate a portion of my income and efforts going forward to the same cause: enabling someone else to say yes.

Do you believe in yes?