The skill of asking

Asking for something can be seen as such a pain, it’s just an annoyance and a distraction for everyone doing “real work,” is what I thought.

But when you reframe it and acknowledge that purposeful asking is THE most valuable skill on earth, then it becomes so easy to ask for more, and for better. The great leaders of our time as well as all previous times have been the ones who are skillful and unafraid to make requests. They ask for more because they know they and their tribes deserve more than they are getting. When will you realize it’s your turn to ask?

Asking

Why oh why, does it seem
that the more I ask for, the more I receive?

Sounds common sense, this correlation isn’t hard to find
if so, then why oh why, don’t we ask for more all the time?

Asking for more doesn’t cost, it’s just words, yet its potential is priceless
Putting your foot down, knowing your worth, a most powerful of devices

Allies

Authenticity, being your true self, will go a long way towards gaining supporters. We gravitate towards those who have their story straight. Who know what they’re fighting for and why.

It’s a breath of fresh air, to meet someone who has taken a stand in their mind and narrowed down their focus to the one or two things that matter most to them. We see it in the way they walk, the way they move, the things they talk about. All their actions are synchronized and gracefully headed towards an inevitable goal. And we admire that.

We admire it because we haven’t made that choice yet. Our minds are crowded with too many unimportant wants, as opposed to one passionate quest that deserves all our energy.

If you’re unconvinced then give it a short trial run. For one month put one mission at the forefront of all your conversations and your productive time. Leave the superfluous stuff aside. You’ll start to notice how free and powerful you feel. And just as important, that those around you now feel more compelled to support your efforts. You’re gaining allies in your journey.

With enough support nothing is difficult. Your book, or your non-profit, or your school pretty much builds itself. It all starts with an authentic clarity of purpose.

Take a stand

In your mind. Take a stand in your mind for what you represent. Yes, we’re complex individuals with numerous and opposing ideologies depending on the time of day.

But there’s always one. In love. In our career. And especially in our mind. There’s always one that dominates over all others.

So what do you represent? What message in this crazy world do you relate to most? If your goal is to leave your mark somehow then you’ve got to take a stand today. And the stand can be a process as much as it can be a cause. But choose one for now.

Something new

Life as well as art are essentially figuring out a way to achieve something new with the tools you’ve been given. Tools that many others have and are flawed if you ask most of us.

Navigating around your shortcomings, mapping out your message, and surfing on top of your strengths. If you do this, no matter where you end up, you can rest assured that your tools were put to good use.

Because the art is in the journey. The life is in the living. The moral isn’t the same without the story.

Bigger. Better. Faster. Stronger.

Bigger dreams, bigger bets
Bigger obstacles, bigger steps

Better ideas, better revelations
Better understanding, better communication

Faster mistakes, faster recoveries
Faster thinking, faster discoveries

Stronger will, stronger self-identity
Stronger purpose, stronger Serenity

Protecting your time

A friend recently told me that they admire how I value and take control of my own time. I don’t spend time on things that aren’t valuable to me and I refuse to get bullied into them. It took a lot of work to get to this point but I’m glad I’ve reached a good place with it now.

Value for your time is a BIG piece of asking for more from life. If you can’t stand up for the sanctity of your precious time then life and other people won’t respect your demands when you ask.

Without commanding respect for your time how will you cultivate the guts to demand fair pay for your services? Or for that promotion you deserve? Or for seed money to start that business?

Time is one of the few things in life that you can’t buy more of, all you can manage is not spending it on activities that are worthless to you. If you deeply value helping a good friend then why are you leaving them out to dry while you do favors for another colleague who doesn’t see/respect the sacrifice you’re making?

How will you accomplish your personal greatness if you don’t protect the time to do the work? Impossible is what I say.

By the same token, respect the time of others who respect their own time. A straightforward NO creates more goodwill and appreciation than it destroys. And it makes a true YES that much sweeter.

Fading

Successful people, the ones who truly make a difference and accomplish something great, are the ones who can mold their environment to suit themselves. Even in a way that seems passive they stand out and just by being they make their surroundings adjust to fit themselves.

It doesn’t even matter if they’re the foreign ones on that particular scene, to them and everyone around they’re at home and home is their playground.

This is just the way it has to be if you’re going to make a dent in the universe. You have to be yourself, nothing more, nothing less. And your self should be capable of making ripples in your environment. So think about that next time you’re in a new setting and thinking about fading into the background…