The Power of Requests!

I was reminded today of the power of requests and why it is helpful to push past resistance to make regular requests.

A lot of opportunity comes to those who ask:

• Not necessarily the brightest...
• Not necessarily the most qualified...
• Not necessarily the most well known...
• Not the most popular...

I will be working on a cool project with some cool people (more details later) over the next couple months. The project is a "go" because I pitched the idea and asked the other parties to partner with me. Had they thought of the idea, they might have asked any number of people to work on the project. Sometimes being there first, and being the one to pitch the idea makes all the difference.

Is there a project you would like to get off the ground? Think about who might be a great partner/customer and pitch it! As long as your pitch is thought out and is a win/win or meets one of their needs, there is no downside to asking.

As part of the Daily Practice for the 2 Weeks to a Breakthrough program, I suggested making two requests a day. This is a good pace if you want to create serious velocity. At a minimum, I try to make 5 requests per week. And every now and then, I go BIG and make requests that are very ambitious.

I think about the struggling actor who had a hard time getting a break. He wrote to Oprah again and again and eventually she made it happen for him by getting him a role on a TV show.

Then there is the young girl who fought to compete with the boys in wrestling. Ditto the young girl who played football with the boys.

Then there's my pal Bren (Slacker Manager) who did not take "your qualifications aren't a fit" as the final answer. He knew he could do the job and pitched hard for it. And got it!

Making requests is about having resolve and being committed to achieving a goal. Is there something you should be fighting harder for?