I picked this book up at the library. It literally fell into my hands as I was looking over the Lucky Day titles (you all know how much I love those little Synchronicities).
But I’ve been a bit nervous to crack the cover. I’ve been challenging myself; deeply examining my own beliefs about giving and receiving, accepting and allowing.
“Even while Amanda is both celebrated and attacked for her fearlessness in asking for help, she finds that there are important things she cannot ask for-as a musician, as a friend, and as a wife. She learns that she isn’t alone in this, that so many people are afraid to ask for help, and it paralyzes their lives and relationships. In this groundbreaking book, she explores these barriers in her own life and in the lives of those around her, and discovers the emotional, philosophical, and practical aspects of THE ART OF ASKING.
Part manifesto, part revelation, this is the story of an artist struggling with the new rules of exchange in the twenty-first century, both on and off the Internet. THE ART OF ASKING will inspire readers to rethink their own ideas about asking, giving, art, and love.” Amazon’s Summary
So if you want to join me, please let me know what you think, as I share what I discover along the way!
I want to share with you that I’ve been enjoying this book immensely! I highly recommend grabbing it from your library and spending some time with the author as she explores this topic. I allowed myself to follow along with her and watched-felt as my own (old) beliefs, judgments and ideas rose to clear.
“Everybody struggles with asking.
From what I’ve seen, it isn’t so much the act of asking that paralyzes us—it’s what lies beneath: the fear of being vulnerable, the fear of rejection, the fear of looking needy or weak. The fear of being seen as a burdensome member of the community instead of a productive one.
It points, fundamentally, to our separation from one another.
American culture in particular has instilled in us the bizarre notion that to ask for help amounts to an admission of failure. But some of the most powerful, successful, admired people in the world seem, to me, to have something in common, they ask constantly, creatively, compassionately, and gracefully.”
Amanda Palmer, The Art of Asking
Here’s an opening quote from the book:
“Asking is, in itself, the fundamental building block of any relationship. Constantly and usually indirectly, often wordlessly, we ask each other—our bosses, our spouses, our friends, our employees—in order to build and maintain our relationships with one another.
Will you help me?
Can I trust you?
Are you going to screw me over?
Are you suuuure I can trust you?
And so often, underneath it all, these questions originate in your basic, human longing to know:
Do you love me?”
Amanda Palmer, The Art of Asking