How to Increase Your Chances of Success

We get what we ask for. You've probably heard that before, but it is worth remembering. History is filled with people who increased their chances of success and happiness simply because they asked.

Most of us hold back on asking for everything that might help us. Whether what we need is information, support, money, or time, there is one reason we avoid asking. —We are afraid of being told no.

There's a story in the 20^th Anniversary Edition of "Chicken Soup for the Soul". It's about a girl who was not afraid to ask. Markita Andrews raised more than 80,000 dollars over the course of several years for the Girl Scouts. She did it by going door-to-door and knocking. When asked how she managed to raise so much money, the thirteen-year-old said, "It starts with desire. Burning, white-hot desire."

Leading the Life You Desire

As a Certified Canfield Trainer, Ask, Ask, Ask is a Principle in our Leading the Life You Desire course. Jack Canfield has taught us that there is a science to asking. While it's important to ask, it's also important to ask in a way that is most likely to succeed.

Five Tips on How to Ask

Here are five tips on how to ask for what you need:

1. Ask as if you expect to get it. Have you ever been asked for something by a person who openly tells you that it is okay to say no? How did that influence your answer? If people sense that you really need something, and you won't ask for things unless you do, they will be more inclined to say yes.
2. Assume that you will get what you need. Part of being willing to ask for what you need is having a strong sense of its value and taking the time to approach the best people. When you do that, you can act with confidence and the expectation that people will want to help.
3. Ask someone who can give you what you need. Make sure that you approach the best person to help. There is no point in asking for things that people aren't able to give. Set yourself up for success by thinking ahead.
4. Be clear and specific. Have you ever been approached by a friend or family member who asked if you were free at a specific time, but did not tell you why? How did you feel about that? None of us are comfortable saying yes if we aren't sure about what we have agreed to do.
5. Ask more than once. Do you think that Markita Andrews raised so much money for the Girl Scouts by giving up when she heard no? —Of course not. She simply knocked on another door.

Next Steps

While it is important to believe that you deserve what you are asking for, and to approach the right people, it also helps to prepare yourself for being told no. Plan in advance who you will ask next. Also think about how you will continue to support your belief in the need that caused you to ask in the first place.

It is equally important to prepare for what you will do if the answer is yes. What else do you need? Who will you ask?

Being able to ask for what you need is a skill that improves with practice. As motivational speaker Rudy Ruettiger said, "When you achieve one dream, dream another. Getting what you want is only a problem if you have nowhere to go next. Dreaming is a lifetime occupation."

Call to Action

What are your career and business goals? Have you stopped yourself from asking for what you need? What is it costing you to not ask?

Your Friends,
The UpCloseTeam