Pushed to a Place #50
One of the hardest things for competent, successful, motivated people to do is ask for and receive help. There is often a ton packed into that well put together exterior, and no amount of life circumstances can ding, dent or slow it until a health event kicks in.
In my 40s, life handed me more than I could handle and I certainly didn’t let the world (outside of a small circle) know just how hard it was. There was no prize at stake, no one else was monitoring, there was simply some image I was preserving coupled with pride in doing it all myself. Until I couldn’t.
Only when pushed to a place I’d never be able to multi-task my way out of did I “break down” and ask for help. Well, if I’m totally transparent, I was encouraged to open up to a peer group by a mentor and friend of mine. It wasn’t easy, but it began there.
I needed to recognize the arrogance and selfishness enmeshed with my competence. Everyone benefits by helping others. When we won’t receive, it’s a selfish act.
Sometimes you don’t know how much help you need until you have to ask and learn to receive.