This past month has been particularly rewarding.  Encouraging my clients to stand up for their values and helping them discover what's possible is exciting!   Most of us are quick to create our own internal conflict by not asking for what we want.  We settle for status quo while boredom, anger and often depression move in.  Of course we have no one to blame but ourselves.

If we don't value ourselves, our feelings, needs, wants or dreams who will?  My job is to help clients break down the stories they have made up and find out what is necessary to help them move forward in their lives.

Let me share a story about a client who is a nationally recognized patent holding individual in his field.  We had been exploring whether he should retire from his current position, find a new job or start his own consulting business.  He felt it was time to make a decision when given only a 3% increase in his latest review.

In the thirty years he had worked for this company he just accepted the wages that were offered to him.  I suggested that if he really liked working there it was worth asking for what he wanted before he decided to leave.  You won't know what's possible if you don't ask.

A funny thing happened, not only did they meet his request which was a substantially higher salary, he was also offered a very large cash bonus.  Sure it is easy to be angry with the company for not showing they value you, but why should they if you don't value yourself.  What if he had never asked?

Another client is in a job below her skill level.  She has been with the company for over twenty years and has been dissatisfied much of that time.  To keep herself challenged she has continued her education earning her Masters degree and taking on teaching jobs with community colleges in the evening, as well as doing a great deal of volunteer work. 

When asked about her dreams there were two that stood out.  The first (beyond her wildest dreams) was to step it up and teach at DU where she had gotten her Masters degree.  

A week after verbalizing this dream she told me she ran into one of her professors from DU.  Upon hearing this I encouraged her to contact him and ask what it would take to be a part-time teacher there.  He was thrilled and to make a long story short, she begins teaching evening classes there this summer.  She is still pinching herself and grinning from ear to ear.

With her new found confidence we were ready to tackle her second dream more satisfying assignments at work.  I challenged her to meet with her supervisor and ask how she might make a greater contribution and take on some larger challenges.  He embraced the conversation and is exploring new possibilities for her as I write this.

Whether you are in a corporate job or working in your own business, remember you have wonderful unique qualities that other people appreciate.  But first you must stop and respect yourself.  Honor those qualities in yourself and be willing to ask for what you want in order to see what's possible.  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!