Drew Barrymore was in town last week for two live shows in Brisbane and Sydney. It reminded me of my close encounter with Drew Barrymore eight years ago when I was at a resort in Florida Keys.

Close Encounters with Drew Barrymore

While sitting by the hotel pool, Drew Barrymore walked up to enjoy the facilities. A little bit star-struck but trying to act cool, my friend Michelle and I ignored the famous actress.

Later that day we shouted ourselves to one of the finest restaurants in Islamorada to celebrate our last night. And guess who walked in and sat at the table next to us? None other than Drew Barrymore! As she was literally three feet behind us, we could hear her conversation – not that we were eavesdropping… much!

Over the course of the meal, we observed that Drew asked the waiter very politely for a lot of things. She always started with,

“Would it be possible if….”.

Not one of her requests were denied, although they weren’t weird requests like separating all the blue M&M’s from the red ones. Instead, she was simply asking to taste the wine and to get an extra serve of broccoli (OK that is a bit weird).

Embracing My Inner Drew

When we arrived at the airport the next day and checked into the business lounge, we noticed that the attendant went to give us a complimentary drink card but decided against it. Obviously, my status didn’t make me eligible for one free glass of wine. At this point, I decided to embrace my inner Drew by asking, “Would it be possible for us to have a complimentary drink card?” Interestingly her response was, “You’re not supposed to, but I will give you one”. BOOM!

Frequently we don’t ask for things because we are scared the answer will be negative. Often these things are a lot more important than a complimentary drink. While the request may sometimes be rejected, the reason will very rarely have anything to do with us.

Your Challenge

Here is your challenge. What more could you get in life (a pay rise, introductions to people, better working conditions, complimentary drink cards) if you were not afraid to ask? Because if you don’t ask, the answer is always no.

So, embrace your inner Drew and start a few questions with,

“Would it be possible if…?”

and see what happens.