Author: Leon Ho / Source: Lifehack
Nod your head if you’ve ever had to ask for help at work, at home or anywhere else. Now, nod again if you’ve ever felt shy or silly when doing so.
I’m sure some of you reading would have nodded twice!
Whether it’s not knowing the answer to a question in class and looking around to see if your classmates knew, getting stuck on a project at work and needing to get additional input from colleagues, or just being in a new city and needing help with directions, we’ve all been down this road before.
We may not know what to do, and clearly would benefit with some help, yet we won’t–or are afraid to–ask for help.
Why Are We so Afraid of Asking for Help?
What stops us from seeking the help that we need? Sometimes it might be that we fear requesting assistance as we don’t want to seem weak, needy or incompetent in front of strangers, our peers or superiors.
Especially if you are in a competitive work environment, there is an understandable fear that if you let your guard down, this information about you not knowing will be used against you.
Not to mention, your reputation is at stake. If word got out that you had to seek help of some form, you’ll feel embarrassed or perhaps insecure. You might feel less confident about your abilities and worry what others think of you.
Unfortunately, we all have a natural tendency to judge ourselves harshly–often thinking of situations much worse than they actually are in reality. As a result, we also miss out on a lot of potential knowledge or help. If only we were able to see past all that self imposed negativity!
Seeking Help Is Not a Sign of Weakness
I have a friend by the name of Paul who runs his own company. He started at a young age and is already a very successful business man at age 40.
When I ask Paul to name something he does to stay focused and on track in life, he tells me that he has a life coach. He has regular monthly sessions with a life coach who helps him through different aspects of his life.
“It almost sounds like a counseling session”, I told Paul.
He simply replied, “Yes.”, with a smile.
To Paul,…
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