I've been very lucky to this point in my life. I've been
fortunate to have had many outstanding coaches, teachers,
and mentors in many walks of my life. All of these people
have contributed more than they know to my happiness and
success.

Having said that I'm still searching for more. Searching
for things to learn and do better. I believe that it's our
own responsibility to seek out our own success and find
those people who can benefit us and help us benefit others.

Over time I've found that one of the most important skills
to have is the skill of asking for help. I've found that
many people in the know are more than willing to help if
you only ask. I've made it a point to ask lots of questions
of many different people and they always seem to be more
than willing to help.

I've also run into people who were not willing to offer
assistance. All they did was tell me NO. NO doesn't hurt
unless I let it. Hearing NO tells me that this person may
not have the time or desire to help me, but it's nothing
personal and I don't take it as such. If I hear a NO I just
move onto the next person and see if I can find my answer
there and more often than not I usually do.

There are a few rules to this question asking. Here they
are:

- Be thankful for the help you've been given. Let the
person know that you appreciate what they have done for you
and you will put it to good use

- Be reasonable with your requests.It' s o.k. to ask some
questions of that person, but be respectful of their time
and how many questions you ask. Remember that you are
certainly not the only person who asks of their time and
expertise

- Be willing and ready to pay the person something for
their time and effort. You should not expect a person to
continually give of their time and effort and not be
willing to pay them something for their services. Wanting
everything for nothing is cheap. No one likes a cheapskate
who always wants and never wants to give.

- Be willing to share your new found knowledge with others.
Help those who come to you by giving back what you have
learned. Giving back is an important element of a
successful person.

Having the confidence to ask someone for their help is an
important step in helping you achieve the knowledge and the
success that you desire. Afraid to ask? Work on it. Your
skill to ask for help will grow with practice. Once you
start flexing your ask for help muscle, you'll be surprised
at how easy it is and how beneficial it will be to you.
There are many great ideas and many great people out there
who can really help take you to new personal levels of
achievement. Don't be afraid to ask. It's the one skill
that everyone needs to develop.

Fred Nicklaus

About the Author:

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