I loved Seth Godin’s recent post that asked:
“That meeting on your calendar, the one scheduled for tomorrow. What if it were the final interview for a job you care about?”
That litmus test—showing up with the same posture as if we were asking for something important—can change your approach to a lot of things.
If you were intending to ask that teacher to help you, that friend to drive you home after practice, that director for an audition in the school play, your coach for a chance to start, your boss for a day off, etc., how would you treat that person, that interaction, and that opportunity today?
When you act like you need something before you actually need it, people will be more likely to come through when the scenario turns real.