Asking for Help

We have such a strong sense of independence ingrained in us.

Not only do we believe that somehow the people who have “made it” have succeeded based on their own solo blood, sweat and tears, we also believe that only people in desperate circumstances are reduced to asking for help. If we’re even doing moderately ok, we’re ashamed to ask for support in doing better.

It turns out that both of these deeply-ingrained ideas are myths. People who are doing really well, are doing really well not only because of their own abilities, but because they have fantastic support teams. Successful people have learned to ask for support from their friends, their family, their coaches, their therapists, their graphic designers and accountants. They’ve got a whole herd of people whom they rely on to help them reach their goals.

So why does this myth persist that we should be able to do it alone? What are we afraid will happen, when we ask people to support us?

Maybe we believe admitting that we could use help will prevent us from achieving our goals - even though, if we look closely at the stories of successful people, we see that the opposite is true.

Maybe we believe that asking for help is admitting that we aren’t enough - that we can’t meet the challenge we’re facing alone - and that’s embarrassing. We are afraid of not looking good. It’s amazing how much this fear of not looking good gets in the way of doing what we really need to do to meet that challenge!

If you knew that asking for help would enable you to take the leap you want to take, would you do it, even if it’s possible you wouldn’t look great? 

What if, this week, you picked just one area of your life, and asked one person to help you make it better?

It just might turn out to be the exact conversation you need to break through.