The Power in Asking Questions

“It’s hard to ask people to buy my product…” “Negotiating my pay is hard…” “I don’t even know where to start….”

Have you ever caught yourself making those statements? I definitely have.

In fact, I used to be deeply intimidated by a lot of things, like…

• Sports
• Saving Money
• Negotiating My Pay
• Asking Questions in Class
• Putting Myself Out There (to name a few)

When I take a closer look, though, I’m finding that these all have a common thread: I’m intimidated by the idea of my not being cool enough or talented enough for people to take me seriously.

Full stop.

But then I realized that if I don’t speak up for myself, no one else will. If I am too afraid to speak up, then whatever opportunity I had is gone, right? We don’t stand in front of a door just wishing someone would open it for us. Instead, we grab a key, turn the knob, and open it.

If you don’t ask, you’ll never know.

There is magnificent power in taking the first brave step and just asking the question.

For example, I thought no one would want to pay $35 for a ticket to come to see my one-woman show. But I knew that I really wanted to put on a show and I also knew that no booking agent was going to just magically call and give me a slot. Instead, I had to be brave, ask the question, ask people to come, and I ended up selling out the show! Plus, performers get to keep a portion of ticket sales so I also got to do what I love and get paid for it.

All because I had the guts to ask.

My music has been featured in multiple online blogs and music review websites. It’s been played on the radio in Kenya. I got to perform in front of a huge crowd in Bali. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t believed in myself enough to ask the questions and knock on those doors.

My point is this: how are your fears and insecurities currently holding you back?

I triple-dog-dare you to ask a big, bold, brave question this week. Ask for a promotion at work and pay off your debt sooner, ask the guy to define your relationship, ask a venue if you could do a show there, ask for what you want and you just might get it.

This new mindset of mine has not taken the fear out of asking the questions. But I have seen enough crazy opportunities open up that I can never not be brave again.

I will always ask the questions from now on. And I want to encourage you to do that, too.

Take back the reigns on your career and on your life. You’re much too important to wait on other people to open a door that you’ve had the key to the entire time.

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Speaking of asking questions, I’m offering free 30-minute consultations for artists who are looking to find financial and artistic freedom. In these 30-minute consultations, I want to hear all about your current pain points and I promise you that I will leave you with a practical action step that you can take to help. So, will you sign up for a free consultation?

You deserve the most out of life, artist.