All you have to do is ask

In the Bible, we are told "Ask and it shall be given." But asking isn't as simple as all that because sometimes the simplest things are not so easy to do.

The first part is knowing that you CAN ask. Seems obvious. But there are times when negative self-talk can derail you before you even get started. This is my fault. I made this mess, now I'm stuck with it. I can't be a fill-in-the-blank -- I don't know the first thing about it. I'm too old. I'm too young.

You may not hear your beliefs as negative. You may think they are simply so. They are true. They just are. But if something you believe is holding you back from something you want, I suggest you question your own belief. Or, um, askyourself where that belief comes from.

Say you know that you CAN ask but you don't believe it will do any good. They don't promote from one department to another. I don't have any experience. Internships are full. She doesn't date guys like me. There's no money for that in the budget.

Sure, something has happened in the past to someone else when the question was asked, but that was then and this is now. Who knows if something has changed? You don't know unless you ask!

Of course, despite the Bible passage, there's no guarantee that you'll get what it is you are asking for. The loan, the job, the girl -- the list of things we want in life goes on forever. And no one gets everything they ask for. Sometimes there is no answer. Sometimes the answer is no. But sometimes...in fact, oftentimes...just asking for or about something opens up a whole new perspective and answers may be given in unexpected forms. You may get answers to questions you didn't even think to ask. And those answers will move you forward. They always do.

But first, you just have to ask.