When was the last time you asked for something?

Like, truly asked — with your sole objective being to find out something you didn’t know previously?

When we ASK from a place of authentic curiosity, we are interested in Acquiring Supplemental Knowledge.

The act of asking is a confessional. You are, in essence, saying “I don’t know the answer to this, but maybe you do” to the other person. That’s why I think so many of us have trouble doing it.

Relax into acceptance of your permanent yet fluctuating level of ignorance

Think about a time when you really needed to know something but were too shy or intimidated or fearful to ask someone. What was that about? What were you so afraid of that you willingly chose silence over knowledge? Have you since rooted out the bogeymen that resided in your mind, insisting at that moment that admitting that you don’t know was an unforgivable signal of weakness?

When did knowing everything there is to know become a goal of yours, anyway? Don’t you already know that you can’t possibly know all there is to know, and even if you think you’d know when you’ve reached that point, true knowledge of your all-knowingness is unknowable?

So relax into acceptance of your permanent yet fluctuating level of ignorance.

It will be quite freeing for you. Allowing yourself to be okay with asking when you don’t know something will reduce your stress levels. It will free up your mind to do what you love without feeling bad about not knowing what you might be missing. People have FOMO (fear of missing out) because they haven’t accepted that they don’t know, and can’t possibly know, about everything good in the world.

What were you so afraid of that you willingly chose silence over knowledge?

Do the thing that you’re doing at that moment that feels good, isn’t harming anyone, and may even be raising the collective vibration of humanity in some way, and be fine with it. Someone can always talk to you later about what happened at that other event you missed.

Not only will you still know what went on, but it’ll also give you something to talk about with another person — a reason for making a connection, for engaging in conversation, for looking forward to interaction, for revelling in mutual engagement.

Now, isn’t that supplemental knowledge worth acquiring?

When you take a moment to think about the question “When was the last time you asked for something?” — like, truly asked, with your sole objective being to find out something you didn’t know previously — remember that when we ASK from a place of authentic curiosity, we are interested in Acquiring Supplemental Knowledge.

Make the ASK a key part of your life. Practice it. Embrace it. Share it. Make it part of your routine.

And if you’re not really sure how to make it work for you, help is only a few words away.

Just ask.