Because she asked ….

 

 

Photo: Kedija with the book she asked for

I was surrounded by a group of Wolmer’s girls asking for autographs, when one young lady, Kedija approached me and boldly and confidently said “May I have that book?” I immediately said “Yes” and handed her the copy of my book that I was holding. The other girls were aghast. Sensing a teaching moment, I stated “You know why I gave her the book? Because she asked”.

Asking is the very first step to receiving what we want. Failing to ask means that we will receive all sorts of stuff, for the Universe is always pouring out its gifts and will give, regardless of whether we ask or not. However, if we fail to direct the giving, we may not desire what we are getting. We fail to ask for all sorts of reasons, but the most fundamental one is fear. We fear what other people will say. We fear what the response to our asking might be. I could have said “NO” to the request for the book. Then I am sure there would have been some jeering and laughing at Kedija throughout the day. In the future, she may have become more timid in her asking, as would the other girls. Sometimes we even fear getting the very thing we are asking for. Do we deserve it? Are we worthy? Can we handle it? The answer is that of course we deserve and are worthy of whatever we ask for. The Universe does not judge not discriminate. We ask …… it is given. Can we handle it? Well, we will never know unless we get it. And we must ask and accept in trust that the very Universe that gives us the thing will also give us the capacity and ability to handle it.

How we ask is also important. Kedija was so confident. She didn’t whisper her request. She boldly stepped up to me, raised her head high, held out her hand to me and asked for the book. I felt compelled to hand her the book. The book was already hers. There is no point in asking timidly. Timidity diffuses the energy of the asking and therefore the receiving. We must be bold in our asking.

There is another lesson from that morning with the Wolmer’s girls. Another young lady, Daneille, came up to me a little later and asked me for help in getting her book published. We have now started a robust e-mail conversation. Why? Because Daneille dared to ask. But more than that, she took action. I had given her my e-mail address and told her to e-mail me. Sure enough, later that day I received an e-mail from her.

How many times do we ask for what we want? How bold and confident are we in our asking? How many times do we take action, once we have asked? Taking action signals that we have accepted our good. The simple formula for living the life we truly desire is:
Ask
Accept
Act

In each of these steps we must be bold and confident, releasing or acting in spite of our fears. The Universe has no choice but to respond.