Saturday, November 17, 2012

Here’s a novel idea….


Here’s a novel idea….
ASK FOR WHAT YOU NEED!
Sounds like a simple enough idea to ask. When kids are hungry, they ask for food. When kids are thirsty, they ask for something to drink. Somewhere between being a kid and becoming an adult, we forget that we have the ability to ask for what we need. And just to clarify, I’m not encouraging you to be greedy and ask for unnecessary things, I’m encouraging you to think about what’s important to you and why, and then go for it.
We can ask for what we need in all areas of our life. We can ask in our career, relationships, and financially. By asking with compassion for what we need, we increase the likelihood to live our truth. You may need time for yourself, sleep, honesty in a relationship, respect, more or less responsibility at work or a day off-to highlight a few themes. And sometimes what you need, such as space in a relationship, may not be what the other person wants and that’s okay. It’s important to honor yourself and your needs.
Perhaps you don’t know what you want.
Perhaps you are scared to ask.
Perhaps you wouldn’t know what to do if you actually got what you asked for.
Amazing things happen when you ask. One client, who was seriously considering leaving her job, was able to put a four-day work week into place by masterfully conveying to her boss why this would be good for her, the company and her team. Because the idea was presented thoughtfully, my client now works a four-day work week and enjoys her job again. Prior to this shift, my client was frustrated with her job and not happy in her role.
Now, here’s the tricky part…just because you know what you need, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. Once you figure out a four-day work week is appealing (and I’m sure everyone loves this one), you need to think about why this makes sense for the other party (in this case your employer), what type of conversation you need to have with your manager, how will it impact people on your team, and what rituals need to shift in your daily work schedule to make this possible. Often, you may find yourself making excuses for why something is not possible (as my client did when I introduced the idea). As you learn to stop this conversation in your head and retrain yourself to focus on what you want and why it needs to happen, you will cross the line from im-possible to possible. And if it doesn’t happen this month, that’s okay. Keep rolling forward because it could happen the next month.
I know one thing for sure — it’s okay to ask for what you need. And if you don’t ask, I can guarantee one thing — nothing will change. The next time you’re not sure what to do:
ASK with compassion
ASK with clarity
ASK with confidence
Top 1% Bottom Line: Sometimes an idea sounds entirely unrealistic until you ASK and then it happens. This process of shifting your mindset to what’s possible opens up new possibilities in all areas of your life.
Love,
Alissa
 

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