LeaveittoLaynie

In my early years of working, I was intimidated to ask for a raise.  Women in the work place, at least in my experience, are afraid to rock the boat and feel comfortable keeping the status quo, unlike many male counter parts.  Jennifer Lawrence recently blogged about this in Hollywood.  

Just asking for help is hard for many people. They either don’t want to be seen as weak or that they can’t take care of something themselves.  There are times that no matter how hard you work or how knowledgable you are about your business, sometimes you just need to ask for assistance.

Recently my daughter and I watched the movie, “We Bought a Zoo” starring Matt Damon.  His character talked about having 20 seconds of courage.  We have started living our life by this motto.  Starting my business “Leave it to Laynie” or my non-profit with my partner, Bags of Kindness, I have learned to go against my trepidation and use my 20 seconds of courage.  I have found new customers by just jumping in and risking my shyness by saying, “Let me help you.”  It amazes me that if I only ask, I get wonderful donations for Bags of Kindness.  I even discussed with one of my earliest clients about raising my rates and they suggested a rate which was more than I expected.

I think asking can be seen as a strength, not a sign of weakness.  The world would be a much kinder place if people just asked for help when they needed it, and in turn, we help others, making our community one of kindness.  Hope you have a great holiday season.