Just Ask!

I received the following text from my insurance agent. A good read, for those of us who are too timid to ask.

It was 11am on a Sunday and I was due to catch a plane to Singapore at 2.30pm. Next day in Singapore I was to give a speech to 5,000 people. Suddenly I realized that I had lost my passport.

Julie said, “I’ll get you a passport!” She grabbed the phone and started calling emergency immigration numbers all over Australia, but all she got were answering machines or people who said, “Impossible on a Sunday!”.

Finally, after 25 calls, Julie spoke to a government official who was at home suffering from a severe hangover. Julie convinced this person to crawl out of bed, drive to the Australian passport office in Currie St. Adelaide, turn off the entire twenty-storey security system, fire up the computers and make a passport for me by 1pm.

Julie is amazing for many reasons. One of them is: she knows how to ask. Julie once rebuilt an orphanage in Indonesia with no money. She visited CEOs of corporations all over Jakarta and asked fro donations of bricks, timber, plumbing, paint, roofing iron and labour. Once the orphanage was complete, she kept it supplied with drugs and bandages using the same strategy.

Julie’s philosophy is:
If you ask, you’ll often get.
If someone says “No”, don’t take it personally. Ask someone else.

YOUR success and happiness depend on you asking for things. For small things… “May I have a refund, an upgrade, can you reschedule my appointment?” “Will you go out with me on a date?”
And for big things… “Can I WORK for you?” “Will you MARRY me?”

People will often say, “Yes!” Other people aren’t mind readers. Often, they will happily agree to your request if they KNOW what you want.

USA Today recently ran a report on people who asked for a raise in salary. The study showed the 45% of women and 59% of men got more money when they asked for it. It’s worth asking!

If you never ask – if you suffer in silence, if you always act the martyr and allow yourself to go without – your stomach keeps count. Asking for what you want keeps your happier and healthier.

IN A NUTSHELL

If you ask for it, you just might get it!