Ask for what you want

My wife, Elysha, received a text from someone we know well but would not categorize as a friend. We had never set foot in the person’s house, never shared a meal, and never purposefully attended an event together.

A well known acquaintance for sure, but not exactly a friend.

The text message read:

I find this text message glorious.

Far too often in life, people are unwilling and afraid to say the things they really mean. Ask for exactly what they want. Insist upon clarification and specificity. Say a true, hard thing.

Instead, people wait and hope. Question and waffle. Lean and maybe nudge.

This often gets us nowhere. It fails to achieve the desired goal. It delays, defers, and sometimes derails the fulfillment of a want or a wish. It creates a barrier between something that can improve their life, bring them happiness, or inject clarity into their life.

This person boldly asked for something she wanted, and as a result, we were visiting with them less than a week later, sitting around a fire, telling stories, toasting marshmallows, and laughing.

Elysha and I have new friends today.

Our children have new friends, too.

A life with more friends is a happier and better life. My life, therefore, is happier and better thanks to this text message.

How often does a simple text message produce such positive results?

I am so happy this person was brave and bold. Confident and direct.

It’s a great lesson to us all.