How To Ask, For Your Worth

Do you ever struggle with asking for more? 

As a child, I read, watched and enjoyed the story of Oliver Twist, a novel by English author Charles Dickens. The fictional account details the adventures of a young English orphan boy who encounters a series of setbacks in his pursuit of happiness and security. 

If you read this novel as a child, you'll likely recall Oliver getting into serious trouble because he asked for more. I won't give the entire story away. However, I learned several lessons from Oliver's life and wish to share a few of them with you today.

Life Lessons from Oliver Twist

1. Where you start should not limit where you can end.

2. You can start with little and end with much if you don't give up.

3. You can go against the odds and be the ONE to ask for more. 

I can relate to Oliver very much because, as a child, I attended boarding school. Attending boarding school meant living and getting through life with very little. I often say boarding school teaches you to "micro-manage" your resources with the aim of survival. There's some good there. However, the not-so-good is the possibility of becoming so comfortable with little that you rarely stretch to ask for more.

I can't begin to tell you about the countless opportunities I almost missed because I was too afraid to ask for more. Now, consider the opportunities you unwillingly sacrificed because you struggled with the fear of asking for more.

One of the reasons I share and teach Elegance is that Elegance inspires an awareness and understanding of your value. Understanding your value inspires the courage to command or ask for more. 

If you want to grow in personal and professional value and struggle with knowing how to do so, here is one of the simple strategies (or framework) I use:

 Lady VJ's Elegant ASK Framework:

1. Appreciate the other party

2. Communicate your value

3. Ask for more consideration

Here are practical examples:

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