Just Ask

How many people actually go around asking for what they want? Go ahead, raise your hands. If you see something that you want, do you "no holds barred" go after it? Or, do you contemplate what other people will think, worry about rejection, fear what might happen if you have to compromise or imagine what kind of failure might be in store for you?

Those thoughts and feelings limit your potential to realize success.

Do you have any idea what amazing opportunities lie ahead of you if you simply open yourself to the possibility that you can have everything you want? So often, we are paralyzed by fear, pride and our own emotional boundaries. What would happen if we simply let ourselves experience a world where nothing was beyond our reach? Let go of all of those boundaries that hold you in, keep your spirit in check and reign in your prospects for success.

Do you want to succeed?

Some people are truly afraid of success. They sabotage their own efforts to create the life they really deserve. Other people are unable to even envision what their lives would be like if they had everything they wanted. Are you on either end of those extremes or are you somewhere in the middle?

Many of us flounder around in the middle unsure of what we really want at all. It is no wonder we have trouble realizing our dreams. They aren’t attached to anything. Do you really know what you want? What do you want from life? How about from your website? Your self?

You have what it takes to be successful. You have proven that. You are here – reading this article. You are here – at SBI. What do you want to achieve?

You can have everything you want – you just need to clarify exactly what it is that you DO want.

You have to ask for everything from everyone who has anything that can help you achieve what you want. That's pretty simple, yes? Just ask.

Do you want help writing an article for your site because you have writer's block or you simply can't find the perspective you need? ASK someone to help you. Do you want that amazing incoming link from the .gov site that doesn't even link to anyone other than other .gov sites? ASK them for it. Would you like to attend a conference like the Chicago conference? ASK!

Ok, so not everyone is going to give you what you want. I asked to go to the Chicago conference at least a half dozen times. Well, I'll be honest. I begged to go. I started with "Please, I will learn so much and be so helpful in the forums" all the way to "Ok, what if I just sit quietly and get coffee and tea for the coaches". I wanted to be there so badly. I even had my in-laws lined up to babysit. Did I get to go? No. I didn't get to go. Was I upset? No, not really. Why not?

I learned a little secret from Jack Canfield about 20 years ago (long before the Chicken Soup books ever came out). It is from a set of audio tapes my father gave to me titled "Self-Esteem and Peak Performance". I've listened to them many, many times over the years. The secret is: My situation didn't get any worse when I was turned down. It stayed the same.

Let me tell you what can happen when you ask for something you want. My parents were visiting me for my birthday and we went to Bricktown in downtown Oklahoma City. We hopped on a water taxi and headed down the beautiful canal. I told the pilot/driver that it was my birthday and I wanted to drive the boat. He said he wasn't supposed to, but smiled and motioned for me to join him on the landing. Out of sixty people on the boat, who got to drive? Me. Why? Because I asked.

My daughter understands this, too. When she was nine, she wrote the Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama and asked if he could make the sidewalks "stroller friendly" so what when we walked to school, her little sister wouldn't have such a bumpy and potentially unsafe ride down the curbs. She received a letter from the mayor two weeks later and within the month, all the curbs were turned into ramps.

There are so many stories I could relate about the things I have done, been given, enjoyed and paid less for simply because I was willing to ask a simple question. Pride is silly when you can ride on a fire truck in a parade or walk on a major league baseball field after the game or get someone to pay for half of your fax machine.

Ok, so those don't exactly relate to building a web site, but they do relate to building a happy life. If you want to know about how asking can help you create a better web site, check out www.studentsavvy.com in October. I will be writing a weekly column for their site complete with live links to my site. They asked me for some articles. I asked them for more. I have written for dozens of web sites and have in-pointing links from each one of them – because I asked.

Oh, and I do have that link from a .gov site that doesn't link to any other sites except .gov sites BECAUSE I ASKED. In fact, the guy I asked requested the webmaster create a whole new category heading for me.

Define what you want to achieve and go for it – "no holds barred". Ask for what you want and especially for what you need. You lose nothing by asking – even if you are told "no". Move on. Ask again or ask someone else. I've already asked to go to the next SBI conference.

You can be outrageously successful. Give yourself permission to realize your dreams.