It can be a risky thing to ask for something. There’s always a chance that you’ll get shot down. On the other hand, there’s also a chance that you’ll get what you asked for (and possibly more).

There’s this fictional scene in my head of a guy and a girl. They totally like each other. But they’re kind of nervous. She waits and hopes that he’ll ask her out but he never does. She never works up the courage to ask him out either. So they never fall in love or live happily ever after together. Because they didn’t ask.

I keep reminding myself, “Remember to ask.”

See, I’m on the verge of a pretty significant ask. We plan to launch the Brewconomy Kickstarter campaign soon. I’m doing everything I can to prep for it but there’s still such a huge risk involved. It’s incredibly nerve-wracking. The ask is so tough to do.

If you can learn to ask, though, people are sometimes willing to oblige. People can surprise you. Sometimes that leads to a new relationship or experience that can be incredibly rewarding.

When moving into a new house recently, I decided that my husband and I should ask for help. It was more symbolic than anything — for me, anyway. I needed to push myself to ask for support with the biggest move of my life. I was a little terrified of such a big change, and I wanted to be surrounded by family and friends during a chaotic time.

What happened was insanely cool. An army showed up. Not just one day, but two. They helped us move during the worst rain and wind we’d seen in years. Everyone used their skills and talents to help us with the move: packing, lifting, providing sustenance. They worked so hard and never complained a bit.

rainy day moving by camden watts

It was one of the best weekends I can remember in a long time. Yeah, even while moving! We ended that weekend exhausted but feeling so loved. None of that would have happened if we had not asked for help.

I’m psyching myself up for another ask. These crowdfunding campaigns are wild experiments, eh? I can’t wait to see what happens.