You Don’t Have to Hold the World On Your Shoulders
I don’t know about you, but sometimes, I find the idea of asking for help can leave a bad taste in my mouth–no matter how much I need it.
Our society teaches us that we should be super-human–able to hold down a full-time job (or two), raise a family, maintain a marriage, friendships and more–all while looking positively fabulous.
We’re always looking for new ways to save time, do more, be more–always trying to improve, find ways to just BE MORE than we are.
But here’s the thing. There are only so many hours in each day, and you’ve gotta spend a few of them sleeping. It’s a fact.
Another fact: a single person cannot possibly know everything, cannot possibly excel in every area–and most importantly, a single person cannot hold the world on his or her shoulders.
But don’t worry–there’s a simple solution. Just share the load, friends.
Read closely: It’s okay to ask for help. Repeat it to yourself: it’s okay to ask for help.
If you have confidence, think independently and make your own choices in life, you probably prefer to figure out things for yourself. And like me, because you’re so self-assured and/or driven, you might not like to ask for help, even if you could really use it.
Whether we like it or not, every one of us could benefit from time to time by accepting a hand from someone else.
And when you ask for assistance, other people also stand to benefit in ways you might not have considered.
Contemplate these reasons why you may want to ask someone to help you, even if you find it challenging:
- Accomplish your goal. For example, if you need to get to that job interview and your car is still in the shop, ask a friend to drive you. If you have a goal you want to achieve and you can accomplish it with a bit of help, then ask for and accept assistance.
- Prove you’re human. If you’re full of confidence and seem to always do everything right, people can easily put you on a pedestal. However, when you request aid from others, they realize that even someone like you falters once in a while as you’re trying to carve a path through life. This can be really inspirational.
- Set a good example. This applies to co-workers, friends, and family members. If you just go straight to the point and request a hand as soon as you recognize you’re going to need it, you help to de-stigmatize the whole idea of getting help. When your friends and family face a challenge, they’ll think, “He didn’t hesitate to seek out some extra help right away when he needed it and that’s so smart. I’m going to do it, too.” And now, you’ve been helpful to them. Good Karma points.
- You give others a chance to help you. Most people feel very good about themselves when they are able to extend assistance to others. You’re allowing others to feel those rewarding emotions whenever you request a hand from them.
- The level of stress you’re experiencing will drop. It can be very stressful when something goes wrong. Anxieties and worries develop and persist. The longer you worry about the situation, the worse you feel. Getting help means you can avoid all that distress.
- Develop a true appreciation for others. You’ll love seeing concrete proof that others want to see you be successful in life.
- Enhance your relationships. When you request aid from a friend or relative, that person feels emotionally closer to you. After all, if you feel comfortable enough to reach out for help, that’s quite a compliment to the other person. Plus, when the person comes to your aid, you’ll recognize how much that person really cares about you.
- Reciprocation feels great. Doing something as thanks to the friend who helped you will bring pleasure to both of you.
- Be an efficient “manager” of your own life. You can either spend time, emotional energy, and hours of lost sleep trying to figure an issue out on your own or you can ask for help and get it quickly taken care of. Which method is more efficient?
My point? Giving and receiving assistance can enrich your life, in more ways than you might have imagined. You’ll strengthen your relationships and be a better person for it, at the very least. So what are you waiting for?
Do you have trouble asking for help? Share your thoughts in the comments section, below.
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