When I lived in Europe, one of my jobs was that of a tour manager.

On one of my weekend trips to Paris, a nervous young man pulled me aside and said “I want to propose to my girlfriend, Judy, at the top of the Eiffel Tower.”

Now, getting to the top of the Eiffel Tower usually takes about two hours on a quiet day but on that day, we only had 15 minutes. So, by flashing my tour manager badge at security to jump the lineups, Mike and Judy did get to the top where she said YES.

This success happened because each one of us asked for what we wanted. Mike asked me, I asked the security guards and finally Mike asked Judy for her hand. We didn’t let our initial assumptions of failure stop us.

Action – What have you stopped pursuing simply because you think it might fail? Who can you ask for help?

(photo by Rodney Smith via Bliss)

5 Responses

  1. It’s a wonder how you reflect upon such seemingly insignificant moments and convert them to some meaningful learning. Hats off to you, Nancy. I love your approach and outlook towards life. I’m glad I have your daily snippets to act as a guidepost and nudge me towards more self-introspection. Thank you!

  2. So true! You never know unless you ask. This thought process works on all sorts of things in business and personal life–hotel upgrades and discounts, group dining discounts…the list is endless. Thanks Nancy for reminding us of this! We just need to ask.

    1. I was recently in a store looking at luggage (on wheels). The piece they had was ‘nice’ but out of the price bracket I was prepared to pay. I hesitated on the purchase, the clerk asked what I would be willing to pay, I told her, she thought about it for a moment and then said yes. She got a sale, I got a good deal – win, win.

  3. Nancy, reading your programs everyday gives me a new set of wheels of motivation that I can drive full speed to my ambition destination . I do appreciate your thinking and approach .

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