This week I was reminded of how asking for help reveals the wealth of support we have in our lives just waiting to be tapped.
Going through the soul searching angst of re-branding the speaking part of my business to be more hard-topic, and business friendly has left me feeling vulnerable and unsure, with a bit of a “stranger in a strange land” feeling. It has been harder than I originally thought it would be to get speaking opportunities that would not compromise who I am while helping to pay the bills, especially in this anemic economy.
But instead of putting on a happy face and going it alone, I asked for help. And once I asked for help, all kinds of help has been showing up—referrals to places to speak, calls from others looking for a speaker, healer friends offering free sessions to support my spirit through this difficult transition, website content editing advice from my literary friends, brainstorming sessions with colleagues, flexibility from my coach and therapist with fees and hours, hugs and encouragement—in general, an empathetic response from the universe and the people in it. My heart has been touched deeply. It feels really good. It restores my faith that the way back to strength is often through the willingness to be vulnerable and ask for help.
When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and ask for help, we give others an opportunity to serve and give their gifts from a generous heart. We all have experienced how good it feels to give, knowing we are lending a helping hand to a fellow life-traveler.
Despite recent talk of a version of our country’s ethos of independence, fortitude, and going it alone, the reality is that we are truly interdependent. No one stands alone; no one gets anywhere on their own; we need the tribe for empathy, camaraderie and solutions, to create infrastructure for accomplishment and for support.
When we share what is truly going on with us and ask for the help we need, we open a door to generosity and support that is there all along. And with that, we can move mountains.
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