Ep 17: The 3-Letter Word That Can Change Your World!
Like the title implies, this 3-letter word is a complete GAME-CHANGER! And, like I share in today’ episode, it’s a word that keeps coming up throughout my day in all kinds of ways.
So, I figured I’d look you in on my journey and hope it encourages and challenges you to step into your greatness specifically in this area.
So, what on earth is this magical 3-letter word that will change your world?
ASK.
It’s a word that can feel uncomfortable and “squishy,” I realize that. It can have a lot of emotional baggage or weight, it can give you some anxiety, or if can make you feel pretty vulnerable (these last two are more specifically how this word affects me).
So in the efforts of trying to remove the emotional effect of the word, (and because I love to know the actual definition of words when I dig into them), I decided to “ask” Google what “ask” means: “to say something in order to obtain an answer”
Well, that definition takes the emotion out of the word, doesn’t it? “To say something in order to obtain an answer.” Has there ever been a more straightforward take on this word??
OK, now that we know what we’re working on, let’s dig a little deeper. I had a conversation with a gentleman who was raising funds to launch his own VC fund. Specifically, we were talking about women in business.
He shared that he’s spoken with several women who have brilliant business ideas or software or other tech prototypes even, but have self-eliminated. They’ve talked themselves out of the idea before they ever had a chance to ASK for the funding.
And, on the other hand, he’s seen the most confident men in the world asking for money to fund ideas that weren’t at all viable!
Side note: In no way am I saying all men have crappy ideas and all women stay silent. But this was a pattern we were discussing.
And I wish I could tell you its the first time I’ve heard it. But this is a rather common thread I keep hearing AND seeing in my community, and to be totally honest, in my own life (Which is why I think I keep seeing that word ASK!).
It is so much easier for me to ask on behalf of someone else. Is that the case for you, too?
So, with this pattern in mind, I thought I would dig into that gap between having a great idea and making the ASK. What are the steps in between? Where do we as amazing entrepreneurial women potentially put up Glass Walls in our way? Especially when we’re so close to being funded!
And the result of my studying is three specific steps. When I pulled everything together, I noticed that all three words started with the letter C. At first I thought, “Oh, no! Did this just get cheesy??”
But I really think that the three C’s will help this roadmap be memorable, so the best words won!
Here they are: Clarity, Courage, Collaboration.
Clarity: Clarity about what we want, about what we need, about where we want to be.
Have you ever been in this situation where you’re hanging out with friends or your significant other and one of you suggests going out to eat. Then the inevitable question, “Where do you want to go?” Why is it so common in that moment for no one to know what to say?? Unless someone is clear about where they want to eat, that dinner discussion will hang around for longer than we’d all expect.
I think we’ve all been in this exact situation! And that moment when someone becomes clear about what they want to eat for dinner is a really REFRESHING moment! That’s right–clarity is refreshing.
It’s its own kind of authority and people really respect it.
It’s ok to be clear about what you want.
And it’s ok to ask for what you’re clear about.
One more surprising thing I realized about clarity is that it is a small hinge that opens larger doors.
Courage: One of the biggest ah-ha’s I experienced this week as I studied this material, was that COURAGE is the EMISSIONS of CLARITY.
I know we all have moments where we feel like, “Ah! I just wish I had the courage to ask for X.” But realizing that this courage comes AS A RESULT of the clarity made me appreciate clarity even more.
But courage still has it’s place in the pre-ask roadmap. Once we have clarity, we still need the courage to open something: dial the number for that important phone call, walk into the room of a big event, walk up to your ideal audience and say “hello.”
These all take courage. But when you have the clarity, the courage seems to make more sense.
Collaboration: It’s within this collaboration space where the ASKs start to exist. Once you’ve started talking with another entrepreneur you want to collaborate with (my story is in today’s episode), the ASKs become specific and intentional.
I really do love this phase. It’s where things that will make a difference get birthed. It’s where you can work on something that will have a further reach than you as an individual ever may.
So, the pre-ask roadmap, in my opinion, is a worthwhile journey to follow. And it all starts with a little bit of clarity.
Which brings me to my weekly challenge: What is 1 thing you need to gain clarity around this week to position you to open those bigger doors? Hint: just chose 1, and get super clear about it.
AND… how could I ever create an episode encouraging you to make the ASK if I don’t do it myself? That would make me so incongruent!
With that in mind, I’m so excited to announce that I’ll be starting a Masterclass Series in December! My first one will be sharing all the good stuff around Shattering Your Glass Walls.
And since I want to thank you for being a part of this launch, I’ll be giving away some goodies between now and then. So, don’t miss out! Claim your invitation today!
Alright, Gorgeous. Have an amazing week and remember to ASK!
P.S. Interested in learning more about my relationship to this word ASK? I did an episode a few weeks back about one a type of ask we shouldn’t do as we grow our business: and that’s asking for permission. It’s Episode 8. Check it out now!