There is a harmony i

There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been! ~Percy Bysshe Shelley

“At such moments,

“At such moments, you realize that you and the other are, in fact, one. It's a big realization. Survival is the second law of life. The first is that we are all one.” - Joseph Campbell

Jerry Seinfeld summe

Jerry Seinfeld summed up the importance of bookshops. ''A bookstore,'' he said, ''is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking.''

"It may look like sh

"It may look like shit hitting the fan but if you look closely you will actually see brand new dollar bills being thrown at you. Remember it is the smell of fertilizer in the garden that gets the insects all excited!" Nichola Burton

http://htxt.it/fmqp

http://htxt.it/fmqp

Victor Hugo said “

Victor Hugo said “Nations, like stars, are entitled to eclipse. All is well, provided the light returns and the eclipse does not become endless night. Dawn and resurrection are synonymous. The reappearance of the light is the same as the survival of the soul.”

Getting What You Want

As Published in Inner Self Publication Edition 23 January 2011


For most of us, asking for what we want is the hardest thing that we can ever do. How often do we say: “I wish I had more money.” “I wish I had more time.” “I wish I had more love.” yet without making any real changes to the present structures of our lives. In New York recently I was fascinated by the increased number of beggars.  Anytime day or night, on the subway, in restaurants, at the Port Authority and at theatre entrances, people had no hesitation about asking for money in a variety of creative ways.  Some sang, some danced, some offered directions and many simply presented a binding obligation to feed them.

One late night, while walking home alone along 8^th avenue, one beggar grabbed my arm and asked me for money. He was imposing, taller and seemingly stronger than me, and with no one else around, I felt like I was in no position to ignore him.  But instead of allowing fear to reach into my pocket, I looked him squarely in the eye as if he was one of my clients and I asked him what he intended to do with the money. He replied that he would spend it on food. So I said “Then what?” His face twisted in annoyance and refused to answer so I defiantly repeated my question. “When the money is gone and the food is gone, then what?” Finally he muttered:  “I’m going to ask for more money.” So I asked again: “Then what?” His confused gaze asked:”Why do you care?” To which I responded:” Well if you want me to invest in your brand I want to know what I get out of it? You only eat once with the money I give you. Where’s the satisfaction for me? How much do I need to give you in order for you to eat for one week?”

“Um Twenty Bucks?”

“So in that one week, you now have the time to do something else – what will you do?”

“I will ask for more money.”

“What for?”

“Booze”

 So I asked him: “How much do I need to give you for one week’s worth?”

“Um Fifty Bucks?”

“Congratulations now you have $70. What will you do with that one week now your food and alcohol is paid for?

This man was very agitated now. “Why do you want to know?” I replied “If I’m giving you money and one week, I want to know what your plan is.”

He let go of my arm and stepped back away from me and said “I will ask for more money.”

With that I stepped closer grabbing HIS arm and looked him straight in the eye. “What you are doing right now is something that corporations and governments value highly. They need someone to relentlessly ask people for money. It takes exceptional skill to do this. Yet when I give you one week’s supply of food and alcohol, you continue to ask for money. You maintain the same high level of drive and enterprise. That level of determination, courage and persistence is regarded as one of extreme value to any corporation.”

Tears rolled down his face. “I’m just hungry”.

In essence, this down and out beggar on the streets of Manhattan was a finely tuned motivated focused sales manager in survival mode. His exceptional talent was crafted from a big challenge – he was hungry. He acknowledged his own need, made a public declaration, found the courage, taken action and invested his time in the pursuit of the fulfillment of this need.

When I shared my appreciation of the value of his expertise, he began to sob. “People don’t like me asking for money” So I asked him where he in turn failed to appreciate those same people. Did he value where they too acknowledged a need, made a public declaration, found the courage, took action and invested their time in order to survive?

The street hardened face that so frightened me late at night on the streets of Manhattan began to soften and lighten as he considered how the stressed, overwhelmed and harried suits of New York were exactly the same as him, hungry and in survival mode. And as I held his arm on this cold autumn night, I witnessed the extraordinary power of humanity to be able to dive into the depths of despair daily to find and apply courage, strength, determination and persistence in the face of guaranteed judgement.

So ask yourself, where do you acknowledge a need, make a public declaration, find the courage, take action and invest your time to get what you want? What is your plan? How do you value your time and skills?

To ask for what we want is merely the first step.

When we get what we want, it is our value of the time afforded us in the return of our request and the continued management of our needs that is our next important step.

Column Name	What’s Your Story?
Article Name	Asking For What You Want
Author	Nichola Burton
Date	8 December 2010
Words	833
Topic	Value Personal Development in Business