The Ask

Chapter 9THE ASK for Everyday Living—The Stories and the Lessons

I've been dying to get to this chapter and terrified at the same time. How does one condense “asks for everyday living” into one or two examples? I ask—and it's a good ask—that you take the examples that I share with you and extrapolate them into any area of everyday living, whether it be relationships, health, finance, beauty, travel and leisure, retirement, spirituality, diet, exercise, fun, or creativity. I will illustrate how important it is to apply what you have right here at your fingertips in this book to any situation in your life. It may seem more logical or more necessary for you to apply The ASK in business or philanthropy, because those areas are most structured and they cry out for asking and getting concrete things such as money.

But when it comes to our everyday lives, the reward for your ask may be money, but more often it is personal satisfaction. It's satisfaction knowing your significant other still loves you when you need more space, your roommate will clean the apartment more regularly, your doctor will give you alternatives to surgery, your son will take your advice and accept the job, your wife will understand that it's time for you to retire, your friends will understand when you skip brunch to attend a prayer group, and your brother will understand that you can't watch your niece because it's the same night as your voice lesson. While I could have selected many examples to illustrate how ...