I’m notoriously bad at asking for help. If I’m doing something new I typically just jump right in and learn as I go instead of soliciting advice and asking for assistance. Similarly, if I feel overwhelmed, I just put my head down and keep slogging on, instead of leaning on other people or tools to help me out. I’m stubborn to a T and often get offended or annoyed when people suggest that I ask for help because it sort of feels like admitting defeat or weakness. I need to work on this – I know I do. A lot of people are like me and would rather just do things on their own, which means that you may need to work on this too. Here’s what I’ve learned about asking for help:
- Allowing people to help doesn’t mean you can’t do it on your own – it means you’re mature enough to admit that you shouldn’t always do it on your own
- You can learn more when you involve people who know more than you do
- Collaborating can create lasting bonds and relationships that wouldn’t be there otherwise
- Asking for help is a great way to share your passion about a project or topic with someone else
- It’s healthy to practice compromising from time to time
- Working together doesn’t mean you have to be hands off
- Your work may go in a totally different direction than you anticipated once you involve people who bring other perspectives and points of view, and that’s okay
- Getting help can free you up to do other things – allowing you to achieve more, not less
- The end result is typically better when you include other people
- Succeeding often feels better when there’s someone to share in it with you
Hopefully this provided some inspiration to all you hard working introverts and perfectionists out there! If there are any other lessons you’ve learned about asking for help or working with others, please share them with our readers in the comments.
Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Business Blogging and Web Copywriting. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and son and enjoys cooking, watching sports, and spending time together as a family. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about current marketing trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!
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