Often, we are denied things in life not because people won’t give them to us, but because we simply don’t ask for them. I came to this revelation last spring during my hunt for an internship. The company I'm currently employed with called and said that they wanted to hire me. I was stoked. This was exactly what I had wanted in an internship and the work environment was great. However, when I got the offer letter, I was incredibly disheartened. The stipend they were offering me was next to nothing, and I knew that there was no way I could take this internship and simultaneously eat three meals a day. I was ready to turn the internship down, when I remembered something: I was an asset and I had the power to ask, to negotiate. It took a lot of courage, but I asked for more. And you know what? I got it. Simple as that.
It’s scary as hell, but sometimes having the courage to ask is all it takes to get what you really want. Granted, if you ask ridiculous things of incapable people (such as your package being processed on time in the Fordham University post-office), you aren’t going to get very far. You have to ask the right things of the right people. But once you get the ask down, you’re just one step away from getting what you want: a yes.
Hmm, i'll have to try this. Good advice and nice that it worked out for you!
ReplyDeleteHey Megan,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about the power of asking. I recently asked someone for a favor I really didn’t think I would get, but when I took the time to set up a proper argument for what I wanted and why, I was totally pleased to see the result tip in my favor. I agree that if you put yourself out there at the right time and for the right reason you can get the desired result.