Empowerment

So I've have quite a few meetings with various City/Government officials (from different cities) in the past month. Most of them for work, but there's been some personal requests/meetings in, as well. Going into at least half of them(probably more), I felt like I was going into a fight. I'd get all amped up and ready to throw it all on the table. I get there, staying calm, and whoever I'm meeting pretty much rolls over.

It's giving me an ego! These meetings aren't supposed to go this smoothly!

A few have been in a City notorious for their use of the word "No!" The last one with them I fully expected to have to fight for our client because of one of the comments in their review letter. Once we got face to face, the reviewer essentially said, "that's okay if you can't do that. We just like to ask."

WTH??

Most recently was a personal mission for me (and my neighbors... but mainly me). We're (I'm) trying to get residential parking only on my block due to the increased levels of, let's call it business patron traffic, parking in our neighborhood, leaving those of us who live here no place to park. This does not make me a happy girl when I have to park way down the street. I have this thing where I like to see my car from my house. (Crazy! I know!!) So I had a meeting with the guy who initially said 'no' to our petition (because that's what they're supposed to do, apparently - push back) and another official who's been trying to help me along the way. He was amazingly open minded and ultimately appreciative of our need for this! He stopped just short of saying "done deal"... of course, he doesn't have final say, and that may be why he was so open to it all - he's still just the middle guy. But it was really an easy meeting!

These meetings are making me feel empowered... like I can take on any government official that likes to say 'no!'

But ultimately, all these meetings are intermediate meetings. The final say on all of them are down the road. So my ego may be deflated a bit yet. But it'd be nice to get some stuff done for once without that nasty little two letter word at the end of it all!