Rob Mills: "The word that's changing my life".

By ROB MILLS

It’s February, and by now I’m sure most of us have already tried and failed at making our New Year’s resolutions happen. I can relate.

My resolution of ‘go to the gym every day’ quickly turned into, ‘well, okay, not every day but at least every other day’, into, ‘do some sort of exercise when I have time’.

Eventually it became ‘Rob, get out of bed today, seriously’.

And, I reckon I’ve figured out the reason. Okay, yes, I was a bit of a quitter but the real reason I failed was that the goal was unrealistic. Unattainable. It was too big and too much.  You can’t go from nothing to something straight away.

So with all my free time (time that is available because I’m not doing any exercise) I did some thinking. And I came up with a simpler and less specific resolution.

Something where there are no ifs, no buts and no maybes. Something that I can’t make excuses about or put off or justify – a yes/no resolution.

And this is it: I’m going to say ‘yes’ more often.

YES. A simple, monosyllabic word that can have powerful consequences.

I know this might make me sound like a crazy hippy who works in a shop selling crystals but bear with me (worst comes to worst, I sell you a dream catcher and everyone walks away happy, right?)

I’ve said yes when I normally wouldn’t on more than one occasion recently and each time it has delivered an amazing outcome.

Case in point: the events of New Year’s Eve 2012.

I was performing at the Lord Mayor’s Ball at the Sydney Opera House. My original plan was to bail out after my performance and engage in the usual New Years Eve frivolity that never lives up to expectations.

But then my stage manager asked if I was going to stay behind at the Ball.

So I said yes.

Slight problem being I wasn’t invited to stay behind.

In fact, I wasn’t ALLOWED to stay behind.

This event was a big deal, a big do, there were lots of fancy-pants people and a rather excellent view of the coveted Sydney fireworks.

Humble performer that I am – I was supposed to leave IMMEDIATELY after my show and crawl back to my ordinary people party elsewhere in the city.

But I didn’t. I said yes.

And why the hell not? I already had my accreditation and I wasn’t going to hurt anyone by staying.

Then I said yes to a cocktail. Oh and then I said yes to cocktails – plural.

I said yes to offers from people to hit up the dance floor (Lord Mayor Clover’s friends were – for some unknown reason – a little hesitant to bust a move).

When the fireworks started at midnight, a friend tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I wanted to go with her to watch them.

Yes.

I followed her to a little roped off area behind the stage with the most incredible view of the harbor and the fireworks.

It sounds corny but I actually thought I was dreaming.

And then I saw Kylie Minogue. THE Kylie Minogue. I was definitely dreaming.

Except I wasn’t.

So my new buddy Kylie and I (we exchanged a little bit of small talk, turns out we didn’t grow up too far from each other, well we both grew up in Melbourne), along with a few others, sat in a quiet roped off area looking at the most beautiful view in the world and bringing in the new year with a firework display that is unparalleled.

And it only came off because I said “yes”.

We’re a little over one month into the new year. It’s 2013 and by now most of us have already broken those resolutions.

So why no give up on the huge aims and the unachievable dreams and make a small, simple change. For me, it’s already coming up trumps.

I said yes to performing for the McGrath Foundations High Tea’s at the ‘G’, which led to some incredible introductions to cricketers past and present (I’m a bit of a cricket tragic).

I said yes to writing a little piece for Mamamia, which has opened up many doors, mainly the creative doors in my brain I had not opened in a very long time.

Oh and I said yes to being on the Celebrity Apprentice, where I’ve met one of childhood idols in Dermott Brereton and the delightful and rather talented Stephanie Rice.

You might have heard of Stephanie. She’s actually quite a good sport… and she suggested I start training and going to the gym with her.

I said yes. New Year’s resolution: check.

 Rob Mills is an actor, singer, and part time dancer. He’s currently starring in the musical Legally Blonde and was previously the host of Young Talent Time. Find him on Twitter here.