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“If your emotions get the best of you, you’re not going to present the best case. It’s going to come across that it’s all about you, and it’s not all about you. It’s about why getting what you want is actually great for the organization.” - Kathy Caprino

In today’s Finding Brave episode I look at another power gap that has been experienced by the majority of women I have surveyed, which is a reluctance to ask for what you want and deserve. I reveal how there is a prevalence of this gap (77% of the women I studied are suffering from this gap) and I share a look at how this holds women back, along with what we can concretely do about it.

Understand that asking for help is a sign that you’re strong and brave, and ready to embrace more in your life – more success, joy, reward, passion, and impact. Not one person whom you admire in the world has done everything on their own. Everyone you respect and look up to has gotten where they are through the process of asking for help. You’re not “weak” to need some assistance or support and you deserve help from others.

If you doubt that you deserve it, then take some time this week to pay it forward and offer some support to a person in your sphere who could benefit from your specific guidance. Embrace how much you have to offer and recognize your value. Commit to experiencing all the positive feelings that come with being of help to another person. And realize that there are people waiting in the wings to be an angel in your life and to support your highest growth and happiest success.

Secondly, remember that while society might still push back on women who bravely ask for what they deserve and do it confidently, that doesn’t mean we should back off. It means we need keep asking confidently, and do it more and more, so that everyone around us begins to see what it looks like to be surrounded by strong, competent women who embrace their gifts, who want to be of service in bigger ways in the world, and who wear their success comfortably and confidently, and love to help others ascend as they rise.