Don’t say no for people, just ask!

Why are we so often afraid to ask?

People say, “What’s the worst that could happen?” But that doesn’t really make us feel any better or get us past our fear of rejection does it? Some people take it a step further. They not only don’t ask, they say no for people, and the excuses flow like a river:

“They’re probably too busy.”

“This isn’t something they want to do.”

“They’ll just say no.”

Why do we say no for people? To save us from asking. To save us from our fear of rejection. Sure, but you know what happens if you don’t ask?

They say yes exactly 0% of the time.

They never have the opportunity to say yes. Even if you think it’s not likely you’ll get a yes, you should ask. Asking increases your chances by leaps and bounds over not asking. I’ve brought up this idea to friends and collogues so often they would actually parrot it back to me at company meetings at my old job, or reference me as they bring it up, “As Josh always says, we shouldn’t say no for people.”

So, get fearless! Ask for what you want. Ask for what you need help with. Ask, Ask, Ask! You might get a no, and that’s fine, at least now you know, and you won’t be assuming anymore. You can move on and won’t have to spend brain cycles deciding whether to ask anymore.

Better yet, you might even get a yes! Or You might find something in between that you never would have even thought of that’s helpful in a different way.

Just ask.