Seth Godin is one of today’s foremost business authors and bloggers. We at Asking Matters read his blog daily and are often struck by how applicable his ideas are to the nonprofit world and particularly to fundraising. So with huge thanks to Seth Godin, we publish here another installment in our WWSS (What Would Seth Say about …) series by Andrea Kihlstedt, Cofounder of Asking Matters.
Subscribe to Seth Godin’s blog. Read Seth’s original post.
“Perhaps your anxiety is specific to magicians”
I found that quote in a strangely-translated instruction manual for an obscure but beautiful trick.
But it has wide applicability.
Perhaps your anxiety is specific to fundraisers or to anyone who has to ask for gifts and stand for something.
It turns out that your anxiety isn’t specific at all. Perhaps it is due to the fact that you’re trying to control things that you can’t possibly control.
Your anxiety might merely be a sign that you care deeply about your work.
Anxiety is almost never a useful emotion to carry around. Even for magicians.
Now that you’ve been reminded that you care, it pays to let the anxiety go. It only gets in the way of asking.
Good riddance.
Take a look at Seth’s original post and sign up for his blog.
Did you like what Seth says about Anxiety? See what he might say about Why You Aren’t Asking.