Have you ever met one of those people who just always seemed to get things there own way? It’s as if by magic that the taxi driver who wouldn’t take your short fare would take their shorter one? Or the café barrister who refused to do a decafe for you at the end of the day does one for them? You know those people, the ones who just seem to have things work out for them but what if it wasn’t really things just working out for them? What if it was something else.
How to get people to do what you want most of the time..
I remember being 22 years old, having just brought a pair of pants and needing them hemmed; because being 5’ft everything needs to be hemmed. I also needed them done by 5pm that afternoon.
Standing at the counter of the shopping centre seamstress with my Aunt she said “Debbie they are clearly busy, and they won’t be able to do it by 5 pm”. To which I replied, “there is no harm in asking”.
I proceeded to ask , and initially, the lady behind the counter said no way without even a curl in her straight mouth. I stood there eyeing her up, deciding for her that she’d had a long day. That she didn’t mean the flat “no” and asking again was worth a shot.
Eve was what was on her badge. Eve was in her fifties I summed up. Whited haired and except for it being 330 pm on a Thursday afternoon would ordinarily have a smiley face. Matching her current, not smiley face was a round belly, covered with a woollen vest that looked like something she had made out of the Women’s Weekly magazine.
So, having sized her up and really wanting to wear my new pants that night I tried again this time smiling both on my face and so it came through my voice.
“They have already been pinned Eve I said using her name on purpose “it won’t take you a minute to cut and sew them”.
She grabbed them from me, and looked at me, to which I said to her with a big smile “I want to impress a boy tonight”.
Seeing her soften all over I followed that up with “You know what that’s like Eve” and Im guessing she would have in her ‘day’.
My Aunt gasped and turned to walk from the ‘scandalous scene’ but before she could say Debbie let’s go Eve was smiling, telling me to me go have a coffee, and they would be ready when I got back.
And they were. Hemmed and pressed. I gushed my thanks to Eve and judging by the smile on her face I made her feel as special as she did me by showing me the kindness of doing a menial job at the end of a long day.
Do you always get what you want my Aunt asked and the simple answer was and is still yes; most of the time.
So how to get what you want from others {most of the time}
1. Be honest always.
No point in telling fibs, exaggerating or being an arse. I don’t do anything for anyone if I think it smells a bit off. Telling fibs makes you deceitful and nobody likes to be made a fool of when they find out their kindness was given in trickery.
2. Use your manners.
It’s a sign of common courtesy and respect. I do nothing for no one without manners, not even my children. It’s the essence of being a human.
3. Use a bit of cheek.
Everyone likes a bit of fun, and you know when you have crossed the line use your common sense. I am more inclined to do something for someone who has a bit of cheek and spunk about them combined with good manners of course than not.
4. Watch your body language.
Smile when asking someone to do something for you it softens your whole stance. Watch the tone in your voice and how you hold yourself. Throwing a tantrum will generally not get you what you want except a bad name.
5. Be a kind person.
So I know this is all going to sound 1990s and ‘Secret’ like but it’s true. Be a good person, be kind, do good stuff and it comes back around. Besides being kind, it’s good for your health. People who are kind live longer, it’s
not the same as . It beams from you that you are a good human. It becomes part of your vibe and agree with it or not it becomes part of your vibe.
6. Be genuinely appreciative of their efforts for you. Regardless of all that you do to get what you want, always be grateful especially if someone has gone that extra mile for you.
6. Try again.
Rejection is hard but usually, people who get what they want from others will give it another shot. Each situation is different and learning to way it up isn’t easy but as the saying goes there is no harm in asking?
Being honest, kind, using your manners and a bit of cheek will almost always get you what you want from others. People will always help you when they can, but being a little cheeky is often what will get you across the line. B3 of all my children is forever getting what he wants from everyone. Everyone.
So good luck in getting what you want, whatever that may be and despite getting the pants hemmed it never paid off. The boy wasn’t as impressed with me as he was with himself.
Have you got other tips for getting what you want? Leave a comment below.
P.s How to to tell when they just aren’t into you. and How to redeem yourself.
Deb
{Content is Deb Russo image with thanks to here}
