Photo by Eduardo Goody on Unsplash
This is my favourite question of all time. I ask it of myself and my clients every day (it’s even become a bit of a joke with some). It holds the key to moving forward with pretty much anything* and exposes the barriers, fears and limiting beliefs that we all carry around with us, no matter what our age or background.
And when you do ask that question, the replies are nearly always centred around the fear of someone saying no or feeling that people are going to judge us harshly*. The reality is that generally, people are very happy to help. And when other people help us, it makes them feel good, so really you’re doing them a favour. And the worst that can happen? Is it really the end of the world if someone says no? But what if they say yes?
When I work with people to create their unique personal brand or change their career, I will always include a session about how they can unlock the power of their network. We explore how looking at even tepid connections that may only be 2nd degree, or that you worked with many years ago, can actually be key to increasing your opportunities.
Whatever connection you have with these people (as long as it’s a positive one!), has meant that they trust you to some degree and the chances are would be really happy to share some knowledge with you, introduce you to someone incredible, or pass on an opportunity that they see somewhere that you don’t have access to.
Today, look at what’s in front of you and focus on the thing you’ve been most putting off. What’s the worst that can happen if you really go for it?
*The caveat to this of course, is when you ask ‘what’s the worst that can happen?’ about massive life changes. Then it’s quite possible that the worst that can happen can actually be pretty bad. But the trick here is to break down the steps to that massive change into all the steps towards it, and then the answer changes considerably.
I’m the founder of Command+F – unique and authentic personal branding for consultants and freelancers.