Wednesday Wisdom: Ask For What You Want

Wednesday Motivation, Inspiration for Women Entrepreneurs, Female Business Owners, Small Businesses

“You never know if you can actually do something against all odds until you actually do it,” said Abby Wambach, a native of Rochester, NY and American retired soccer player, coach, and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame who is the highest all-time goal scorer for the national team and second in international goals for both female and male soccer players with 184 goals.

When I heard my story was accepted into the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul’s latest edition, “Get Out of Your Comfort Zone,” I had to proof the story and the quote the publisher randomly chose to headline my story. They chose a quote by Rocky – the film persona played by Sylvester Stallone. I wrote back saying, “Since this is a story of a real-life woman trying sports, why can’t we have a quote from a real-life female athlete instead?” They responded positively so I chose Abby Wambach because of her Upstate New York ties and success.

I love my husband but one of our key differences is that I always ask for what I want and he doesn’t when it comes to many areas in life. I believe we should be able to ask for what we want – a better table at a restaurant, borrowing something from a friend, and sometimes not letting someone get in front of the car while driving. I know, I might sound selfish, but I feel if you don’t ask for what you want, you can’t possibly get it.

This theory combined with my desire to always represent women first over men, led to the quote change in a book where my name will be attached to it forever. If I represent women in business, sports, equality, and life issues all the time, it only makes sense I ensure the right quote for my story. The worse the publishers could have done was to decline but they didn’t. The lesson is pretty clear, if you want something, you have to ask for it and be prepared for the answer whichever way it goes.

Today’s Wednesday Wisdom reminds you that you have a voice, opinion, feeling, or belief that matters. You can choose to use it or deny it whenever you want. Make sure what you say or do is in line with your personal or business beliefs and carry through. We have many opportunities to state our opinion or get what we desire. Remember if the answer doesn’t go your way, find another solution, and remember you’ll have another chance someday.

Cheers to all of you standing up for yourselves and what you believe in and making sure you are representing your personal and professional brand as often as you can.